Mariah Carey Discloses Her Secret about Suffering from Bipolar Disorder

In an interview with Peoples magazine, Mariah Carey opened up about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A preview of the interview was published online on Wednesday. The complete interview will be available on Friday. It is the first instance a celebrity of Mariah’s popularity has disclosed her battle with mental illness.

Mariah was diagnosed with the illness in 2001, however, she did not make it public as she felt it would end her career. She lived in constant fear that someone will give out her secret. She carried that burden for a long time. “I didn’t want to carry around the stigma of a lifelong disease that would define me and potentially end my career,” she said. “ I was so terrified of losing everything.” She admitted.

Mariah decided to reveal about her illness after the burden of carrying a secret became too much. She admitted she lived in denial and isolation after the diagnosis was made. She is under treatment and taking medication for bipolar II disorder. Another reason for revealing her struggles with the illness was to help those who might be suffering from the same disorder. “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone,” she said.

Mariah stared her career as a teenager in the late 1980s. She was recruited by the President of CBS Records and rose to fame instantly. She was under constant pressure since then. She won two Grammys in 1991. Her album 'Music Box' was a huge success and she was crowned the artist of the decade by Billboard in 2000. She had to spend long hours in the studio for recording. Mariah refused to go on tours and people asked whether it was because her voice would not sound the same on stage. Mariah was always under scrutiny. This increased when she broke away from her label after a long battle. She and the President, Mr. Mottola parted ways and Mariah released her new single. She was hospitalized due to exhaustion. She had a breakdown probably caused by the long working hours and stress of being constantly observed by people from the industry.

In the latter half of her career, Mariah was known more for her public persona than her music. She was involved in many high profile relationships which were always splashed in all the tabloids. Her movie ‘Glitter’ did not go down well with the critics. In 2017, she was criticized when her lip syncing act failed while performing for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.

Carey has twins, 6-year-old Monroe and Moroccan from her ex-husband Nick Cannon. She is on medication and it is working well. She is doing much better and so had the courage to open up about her illness.

Mariah is not the only one who is suffering from bipolar disorder. There are many celebrities. Demi Lovato, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jean-Claude Van Damme to name a few who have been diagnosed with the same illness.

Well, we hope the revelations eases the burden on her and helps her enjoy her life to the fullest.