Kanye West thought his divorce was his 'rock bottom'. But the truth is, he'll never have one.

Celebrities: they’re just like us – except when they’re Kanye West, now known simply as Ye. Whether or not you’re a fan of Ye’s work, it’s almost impossible to exist in the world without being aware of him, and lately – his increasingly bizarre behaviour. And the question a lot of us are asking is: where will it all end?

From his meteoric rise in the music world, joining (and then leaving) the Kardashians to his tilt at right-wing politics, anti-Semitic comments and – most recently – getting his backside out on an Italian boat, Ye is never far from the headlines.

His troubling evolution is the subject of a Binge documentary The Trouble With KanYe, with award-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar setting out to understand the story behind the headlines.

Part of the focus of the documentary is Ye’s battle with bipolar disorder, with spoken word artist, author and mental health advocate Bassey Ikpi telling Azhar that she knows from personal experience what it’s like to have bipolar.

Everything you need to know about Bipolar disorder. Story continues after video.

“The highs, I thought were my personality,” she says, adding that during manic episodes she found it hard to control her behaviour. “It’s physically uncomfortable. It’s like, if you don’t get this thing out, you’re not going to be able to rest. But the rest never comes, there’s always more.”

The challenge for Ye, Ikpi says, is that his money and privilege make it harder for him to get help.

“Those are the symptoms, you know, all that arrogance, all that bravado, all that big talk about yourself and your capabilities and abilities, those are symptoms,” she says.

“And here’s the thing too, that people don’t really get: it is you but magnified. I’m not making the case that he’s a lovely guy and as soon as he takes medication he’ll be fine. He’s probably a jerk. He’s probably hard to get along with. He’s probably all the things that we think of him – he’s probably all of that and the illness magnifies it to unthinkable levels.”

Ikpi says that hitting ‘rock bottom’ means that many people realise they need help, but her concern is that Ye can afford to pay for any damage he does, and his celebrity status means he’ll always have friends.

“Someone like you and I, we would eventually lose friends and not have replacements,” she says. “We would eventually lose money. So our rock bottom – ‘I need help’ – would come much quicker. He’s being embraced by this new group of people and he’s falling into that embrace. This can’t end well. This won’t end well.”

The term ‘rock bottom’ is often spoken about in bipolar circles as a critical point where someone’s symptoms become so severe they can no longer manage their life without some sort of intervention, says Bayu Prihandito, certified psychology expert and founder of Life Architekture.

“This could mean a loss of relationships, jobs, or even trouble with the law,” he says. “It's like a wake-up call that screams, ‘Something needs to change now!’”

“For someone with bipolar disorder, hitting rock bottom could manifest in various ways. In a manic episode, it might be a reckless spending spree that leads to significant debt or an impulsive, emotionally-driven action that leads to legal trouble. During a depressive episode, it could be a complete withdrawal from friends and family or even a suicide attempt.”

In Ye’s case, Prihandito warns there may be no rock bottom, which isn’t a good thing.

“Money and privilege can act like a cushion, softening the impact of what might be a rock bottom for someone else,” he says. “With resources, you can often ‘buy’ your way out of immediate consequences, like legal issues or healthcare emergencies.

“But [money and privilege is] a double-edged sword. The absence of a hard-hitting rock bottom might delay the realisation that help is truly needed, potentially prolonging the suffering.”

More recently, Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce premiered on Binge on September 21. It noted that “no one has fallen so far so fast as Kanye West on large part because of this divorce and how he responded during the course of the case.”

A lawyer for West said he got a sense Kayne didn’t want his divorce to happen because both he knew and the public knew what was going to happen next. “And that the next several months or years we’re going to be dangerous and I think that’s come to pass,” his lawyer continued.

“Pretty much everyone in Kanye West's personal and professional life has abandoned him. In 2023, I’d say Kanye is completely, utterly alone in the world. Alone and a drift.”

How long could money and privilege prolong the suffering for? Ye is in possession of a US$410 million fortune, according to Forbes. This seems like a lot, but it’s down from US$2.5 billion in 2022, so maybe that wake up call will come sooner rather than later. We hope so.

If you or someone you care about needs help with bipolar, visit Bipolar Australia, or talk to your GP. In an emergency, call 000 immediately.

Feature Image: Getty

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