>>> WELCOME BACK, GUYS.
ON THIS THURSDAY MORNING,
SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN IN THE
NEWS LATELY AND IT SEEMS LIKE
EVERYWHERE YOU TURN YOU SEE
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS STORY,
KANYE WEST AND EARLIER HE POSTED
AND THEN DELETED CONFUSING AND
CONTROVERSIAL TWEETS SAYING THAT
HE WAS TRYING TO DIVORCE KIM AND
THAT SHE WAS TRYING TO QUOTE
LOCK HIM UP AND SEEING THAT
STUFF, MARIA.
>> YEAH.
AND THEN AS YOU SAID HE DEELETED
AND SHE RELEASED A POWERFUL
STATEMENT ABOUT HER HUSBAND’S
RECENT BEHAVIOR AND ABOUT HIS
MENTAL HEALTH.
HERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF IT.
THIS IS A QUOTE.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, KANYE HAS
BIPOLAR DISORDER.
EN IN WHO HAS THIS OR HAS A
LOVED ONE IN THEIR LIFE WHO DOES
KNOWS HOW INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED
AND PAINFUL IT IS TO UNDERSTAND.
SHE WENT ON TO CALL KANYE A
BRILLIANT BUT COMPLICATED PERSON
WRITING THOSE WHO ARE CLOSE WITH
KANYE KNOW THAT HIS HEART AND
UNDERSTAND HIS WORDS SOMETIMES
DO NOT ALIGN WITH HIS INTENTION.
ADDING KANYE’S DISORDER AND
CREATIVITY ARE PART OF HIS
GENIUS AND AS MANY HAVE
WITNESSED MANY OF THE BIG DREAMS
DO COME TRUE AND ENDED ASKING
FOR COMPASSION AND EMPATHY FROM
THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA.
THAT I THINK IS WHAT WE SHOULD
BE GIVING EVERYBODY.
>> YES.
>> NOT JUST THEM BECAUSE THEY’RE
KANYE WEST OR KIM
KARDASHIAN-WEST BUT I THINK SO
MANY PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, MENTAL
HEALTH STIGMA.
>> YEAH.
>> AND PARTICULARLY AT THIS
TIME.
THERE’S OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, A
BIG ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM OF
MENTAL HEALTH BUT WE SHOULD BE
OFFERING I THINK COMPASSION AND
EMPATHY.
>> I TOTALLY AGREE AND WHAT SHE
SAID I THOUGHT WAS SO
INSIGHTFUL.
THIS IS ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
SCALE BUT I REMEMBER CARSON
COMING INTO THE STUDIO TALKING
ABOUT HIS ANXIETY, HIS DISORDER
AND SAID WHAT’S CRIPPLING
SOMETIMES IS THE REASON WHEN I
SEE A SUN RISE OR HEAR AN
INCREDIBLE PIECE OF MUSIC I
WATCH THE HAIRS ON THE ARM STAND
UP.
SO WHAT IS CRIPPLING IN ONE
SENSE IS ACTUALLY THE VERY THING
THAT’S MAKING ME ALIVE IN
ANOTHER SENSE WHICH IS KIND OF I
THINK WHAT KIM WAS SAYING, MAKES
HIM CREATIVE.
>> THAT IS HIS SUPER POWER.
RIGHT?
I THINK PEOPLE WHETHER IT’S THE
FILM "A BEAUTIFUL MIND "OR
WHETHER IT’S PEOPLE TALKING
ABOUT ANXIETY, THAT THE -- AS
YOU JUST SAID, IT MAKES THEM
INCREDIBLY ARTISTIC OR SENSITIVE
AND I THINK AS SHE IS SAYING
THERE’S COMPLICATIONS WHEN YOU
HAVE BIPOLAR AND SOMEBODY OVER
18, FAMILIES REALLY STRUGGLE IN
THIS SPACE ABOUT -- SHE TALKED
ABOUT BEING POWERLESS AND I
THINK PEOPLE THINK WHY DOESN’T A
FAMILY MEMBER JUST STEP IN IF
SOMEONE IS STRUGGLING WITH
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND IT IS
REALLY WAY MORE COMPLICATED.
RIGHT?
THAN ANY OF US REALIZE.
>> LET’S BRING IN DR. BECKY
KENNEDY TO HELP EXPLAIN THIS.
I THINK MARIA RAISES A GOOD
QUESTION LIKE FAMILIES AREN’T
SURE WHAT THEIR ROLE IS, WHAT
THEY CAN OR SHOULD DO IN A
SITUATION THAT’S TRICKY LIKE
THAT ONE.
>> SO I THINK THERE’S A COUPLE
THINGS THAT ARE HELPFUL.
NUMBER ONE, JUST TO EDUCATE
YOURSELF BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER, TO LEARN WHAT A CERTAIN
DISORDER IS ABOUT, MIGHT LOOK
LIKE AND WHAT THE SYMPTOMS LOOK
LOOK.
SECOND I THINK AFTER YOU LEARNED
TO REALLY THINK MY JOB IS TO
KIND OF VALIDATE AND LISTEN TO
THE PERSON’S INTERNAL EXPERIENCE
BUT NOT TO FIX.
AND I THINK WE KNOW THAT ALSO.
NONE OF US LIKE TO BE FIXED EVEN
WHEN WE COMPLAIN ABOUT
DAY-TO-DAY STUFF AND THAT’S THE
SAME THING.
SO LISTENING TO SOMEONE COULD
SOUND LIKE WOW THIS IS GOING ON
FOR YOU OR SEE IF I GOT THIS
RIGHT, RIGHT?
WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN HOW
ABOUT YOU DO THIS OR I COME UP
WITH A GAME PLAN TO FIX.
AND THEN I THINK THE THIRD THING
LIVING WITH SOMEONE WITH A
SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS TO
REMEMBER, YES, I CAN VALIDATE
AND SUPPORT THEM BUT I’M A
PERSON, TOO, AND I NEED TO PAY
ATTENTION TO MY OWN NES.
I HAVE BOUNDARIES AND THAT
ACTUALLY HELPS A PERSON WITH A
SERIOUS AMERICAN
SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS FEEL SAFE
BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE THAT
PERSON IS STURDY IN MY LIFE.
>> DR. BECKY, CAN YOU EXPLAIN
FOR PEOPLE REALLY QUICKLY WHAT
BIPOLAR DISORDER IS?
BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND
HOW SOMEONE LIKE KANYE WEST IS
PUTTING THE TWEETS OUT ONE
SECOND AND THEN DELETING THEM
AND THEN BEING SO ERRATIC AND
THEY REALLY ALSO DON’T
UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
MENTAL HEALTH SPACE WHEN SOMEONE
TURNS 18.
>> YEAH.
SO BIPOLAR DISORDER USED TO BE
CALLED MANIC DEPRESSIVE AND THE
FORMER TITLE IS AN INSIGHT INTO
WHAT HAPPENS AND BIPOLAR
DISORDER CAUSES UNUSUAL SHIFTS
IN MOOD, ENERGY, ACTIVITY LEVEL,
CONCENTRATION AND AN ABILITY TO
CARRY OUT DAY-TO-DAY TASKS.
THERE’S A MANIC STAGE WHICH IS A
VERY UP, ENERGIZED, INTENSE MOOD
STATE AND THEN THERE’S A
DEPRESSIVE STAGE WHICH IS VERY
DOWN AND HOPELESS AND ONE OF THE
THINGS ABOUT THE MANIC STAGE IS
WE ALL ACT HOW WE FEEL AND SO IN
A MANIC STAGE SOMEONE’S ACTIONS
AND VERBALIZATIONS ARE GOING TO
REFLECT THE INTENSITY AND
EXTREMENESS OF HOW THEY FEEL IN
THEIR BODY SO WHAT I THINK IS
TRUE ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SAY IN
THOSE STATES IS THE REALITY OF
HOW THEY FEEL, NOT NECESSARILY
THE EXACT WORDS AND THE CONTENT
ITSELF.
AND, MARIA, YOUR POINT IS A GOOD
ONE.
WHEN SOMEONE IS AN ADULT, IT IS
VERY DIFFERENT.
WE CAN’T FORCE ADULTS TO DO
THINGS AND THE GUIDELINES FOR
MANDATED HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE
VERY STRICT.
THAT CAN’T -- YOU REALLY HAVE TO
MEET THEM.
HOSPITALS DON’T JUST SAY, OKAY,
SURE, THAT PERSON COULD USE SOME
HELP AND IT DOES PUT FAMILIES IN
A TRICKY POSITION.
>> WE JUST HAVE A COUPLE SECOND
LEFT BUT I THINK PEOPLE ARE
DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT AREN’T
ABLE TO GET HELP BECAUSE OF THE
TIME THAT WE ARE IN.
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WAYS THAT
THEY CAN GET HELP?
>> THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN KIND
STRUGGLING?
>> YEAH.
>> I THINK THAT THAT’S REALLY
COMPLICATED.
ONE OF THE THINGS IS YOU HAVE TO
FIND A VOICE INSIDE YOU SAYING
THERE’S A BETTER WAY, A WAY TO
GET THROUGH THIS, TO FIND THE
HOPE THAT THERE CAN BE A WAY TO
KIND OF FUNCTION, KIND OF, YOU
KNOW, IN A WAY THAT’S HEALTHIER
FOR YOU IN YOUR IMPORTANT
RELATIONSHIPS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
WITH US THIS MORNING.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.