It has been nearly impossible to avoid the daily social media response to recent behavior of famous hip-hop and rap artist, Kanye West. I would be lying if I said I haven’t scrolled through Instagram and found the created memes and utter chaos over the last week to be entertaining or attention-grabbing. Yet, with a more recent thoughtful reflection, I have come to believe that the enormous response from the media about Kanye’s recent behavior is a pretty good representation of how we as a current society, think about men’s mental health and male representation of emotion and vulnerability.
Kanye West has been public about his battles regarding the diagnosis of his bipolar disorder, and often speaks on how this diagnosis has affected his creative process as an artist, as well as his relationships with his family and friends. Bipolar disorder, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, is a “mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”
Not only are most of Kanye’s fans aware of his struggle with his mental health, but many are also aware of his extremely public divorce with ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. Kanye is clearly going through a difficult time in his life, and the behavior he has displayed is likely a representation of his mental health struggles.
Because we know his behavior is likely associated with his bipolar disorder, it seems rather disheartening that it has become the public spectacle that it has. In the last week, Kanye has been trending on all platforms, and not for the right reasons. The creation of various comedic memes and the enormous amount of negative comments he has received is only more detrimental to his current mental state, and serves as a very problematic example of how society should respond to male mental health issues.
Instead, we must begin to contextualize Kanye’s behavior, and think more deeply about the implications of our responses to his social media presence and recent behavior. We are doing a true disservice to all men suffering with mental health issues by dismissing him as crazy, or comical even. We must take seriously his behavior, and instead support him and other men struggling by suggesting better forms of communication that are less damaging than via social media, as well as offer real and healthy coping resources.
If you are a male, or an individual of any gender experiencing mental health struggles, refer to these sites for resources to help cope with those struggles. We must work to end the stigma around male mental health and dismantle the belief that masculinity does not involve vulnerability or emotional struggle.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- All-in: Mental Health Resources for Men: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- National Institute of Mental Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help