[Maru]

Don’t know his music nor really care too much about the personal details surrounding this family, but I feel mental illness yet will be under-shadowed compared to the cult of celebrity in the media.

Lindsay Lohan has a history of being treated. Amanda Bines (though her issues were more obvious so more taken more seriously). Britney Spears… among other stars who have admitted to needing help… celebrity apparently creates a perfect firestorm for those underlying conditions to go from unmanaged to unhinged it seems

Unfortunately, our society doesn't take these issues as seriously until something tragic happens. Then it becomes something of an art piece. A work to admire: as if to reach the top, and to fall violently to the bottom is a good thing. Even the three people I stated… those make headlines for various reasons… but they never seem to have that real conversation about it beyond 'how dare they dress this way..." "does she dress like this... because she is a trainwreck" (code: mentally or emotionally unstable)

Society often disparages those who show symptoms. Often I have read commentary online that people are surprised they are even still alive… have not killed themselves from drug use or that they haven’t just simply disappeared despite their annoying “problems”. Those comments sadly are very common. Like meat for the mobs.

No doubt people will bully and make fun of Kanye for being ill. And yes, he has had said some pretty stupid things to say over the years. Everyone says stupid things and if given a microphone and an adoring fanbase to feed the ego, I'm sure many more immature and naïve individuals would very easily say and do stupid things … also, mental illness often exacerbates this tendency to feed on the attention... good or bad.

That doesn’t do much for the conversation of mental health that needs to happen in the media. It only seems to matter when outlet want to bully—oh…I mean “report” on a commonly a disliked figure. To bank on their illness as if it's all for their consumption. A more recent more popular example is Donald Trump *…however abhorrent his behavior and his policies--… these terms should not be used as a way to flag someone they disagree with… Personally,, I see shades of NPD in him from having been at the hands on those affected with the diagnosis myself, but even that wouldn't stop him from serving in office. I'm sure many other politicians suffer from dysfunctional narcissism as well.

Now, those personal conversations relating to their celebrity and signs people see are worth having, since when all should strive to create conversations that help bring awareness with those conditions... not stigmatize those who are seeking treatment. Limiting those discussions to tabloid fodder only when a celebrity so happens to have a melt down from years of mis/non-treatment is a cop out.

Relating to Kanye... I think it is true too that creativity and mental illness too can often go hand in hand… especially if the person who is very creative, very expressive in the way they speak and in which they perceive and interact with the world... their minds don’t have as many boundaries on them internally speaking as society’s pressures simply don’t work on those individuals… it does not lessen their creative value to society when we enjoy their works…

* ‘donald trump mental illness’ Google Search: