Kim Kardashian has spoken about her husband Kanye West's mental health for the first time following his increasingly erratic behaviour in recent weeks.
Several weeks ago the rapper declared his intention to run for President this year, despite having missed the deadline to stand in several states, before announcing his candidacy as a member of 'The Birthday Party' and holding a car-crash rally in South Carolina last weekend.
Since then the 43-year-old, who has bipolar disorder, has holed himself up at his ranch in Wyoming and embarked upon several alarming rants on Twitter, namechecking the likes of Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson and Shia LaBeouf.
In a spree on Twitter last night, Kanye claimed that he has been attempting to divorce Kim for the best part of two years and also branded his mother-in-law Kris Jenner a "white supremacist".
Now Kim has issued a statement in support of her husband, despite his words, and called for patience as he battles his illness.
Read her statement in full below:
As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder.
Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand.
I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health.
But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.
Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behaviour know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor.
People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgemental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.
I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions.
He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder.
Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.
Living with bipolar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some.
That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.
We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.
I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.
Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye's wellbeing and for your understanding.
Neil Wilkes
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