Kanye West Reveals His New Diagnosis: 'It's Really a Case of Autism'
Kanye West says he was misdiagnosed when it comes to being bipolar.
In a new interview, the "Gold Digger" rapper shared that he actually has autism after previously being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Ye shared the news of his diagnosis on The Download podcast with Justin LaBoy and said that it was his wife, Bianca Censori, who encouraged him to get a new diagnosis.
"My wife took me because she said, 'Something about your personality doesn't feel like it's bipolar, I've seen bipolar before.' And come to find out, it's really a case of autism that I have,' Ye said.
Since being diagnosed with autism, West has shared how it has affected him in the past, including going against what people suggest that he do.
"You're like, 'Oh man, I'm gonna wear this [Donald] Trump hat 'cause I just like Trump in general. And when people tell you to not do it...and that's my problem, when fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I'll do it the opposite way," he admitted.
West also shared that he is no longer taking medication.
"I haven't taken the medication since I found out it wasn't bipolar, that it wasn't the right diagnosis. It's finding stuff that doesn't block the creativity, obviously that's what I bring to the world. It's worth the ramp up, as long as y'all get the creativity," West shared.
In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Ye's now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, opened up about her husband's bipolar diagnosis and how medication was not really an option for him at that time.
"I think we're in a pretty good place with it now," she said. "It is an emotional process, for sure. Right now everything is really calm. But we can definitely feel episodes coming, and we know how to handle them."
"For him, being on medication is not really an option, because it just changes who he is," Kardashian added.
West himself opened about his bipolar diagnosis and how it affected him during his appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman in 2019.
"You have this moment [where] you feel everyone wants to kill you. You pretty much don't trust anyone," he said about his manic periods, per CNN.
"When you're in this state, you're hyper-paranoid about everything, everyone. This is my experience, other people have different experiences. Everyone now is an actor. Everything's a conspiracy. You feel the government is putting chips in your head. You feel you're being recorded. You feel all these things," he continued.
West was diagnosed in 2016 with bipolar and was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold the same year.
"They have this moment where they put you, they handcuff you, they drug you, they put you on the bed, and they separate you from everyone you know," he also recalled to Letterman. "That's something that I am so happy that I experienced myself so I can start by changing that moment."
According to the Recovery Village, 3% of Americans have bipolar disorder and can experience severe changes in mood caused by extreme high and low feelings.
--Originally appeared on 'Music Times.'
