Halsey sends support to Kanye, opens up about bipolar disorder

The whole world was talking about Kanye West after the emotional rally he held in support of his U.S. presidential run this past weekend. While a lot of the criticism of his campaign appearance was mean-spirited and jokey in tone, one person who absolutely doesn’t support that kind of response is Halsey. She made her thoughts on the subject clear on social media this week by sending her support to Yeezy through what must be a difficult time.In a series of tweets on July 20, the singer addressed the West situation without actually saying his name, offering her support as someone who has also dealt with bipolar disorder.“No jokes right now. I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing,” she wrote. “Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isn’t a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence.”

A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it. Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and villify people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go...this is the exact triggering shit that causes people to keep quiet about it

— h (@halsey) July 21, 2020

you can hate someone’s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs.

— h (@halsey) July 21, 2020

In subsequent tweets, the singer pointed out this kind of negative online reaction is what makes those who are dealing with mental illness feel as though they should remain silent about it, adding that no matter your personal feelings towards a person, contributing to labels and mental illness shaming harms the entire community.“If you wanna think someone is an asshole, go ahead. Lots of people with mental illnesses are great. Lots of them are assholes. Because they are people. With nuanced personalities. But making jokes specifically targeted towards bipolar hurts more than the 1 person ur angry with,” she concluded. “Sincerely, Human Being with a Decade Long Bipolar Diagnosis.”[video_embed id='1999441']WATCH: Kanye West posts about Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner in now-deleted tweets[/video_embed]Following Halsey's lead, Demi Lovato also posted several tweets asking her followers to be compassionate. "Do NOT pretend to know about someone’s mental illness if you do not personally know them. Check yourself," she added.Actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears shared Halsey's tweet on her own Instagram account on July 21, adding, "If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same."Halsey has opened up about her own mental illness in the past, revealing that she was bullied as a teenager and tried to take her own life when she was 17 years old. Since then, the singer, whose birth name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, has also opened up about the treatment she has voluntarily received in recent years. "I've been committed twice since [I became] Halsey, and no one's known about it. But I'm not ashamed of talking about it now," the singer told Rolling Stone. "It's been my choice. I've said to [my manager], 'Hey, I'm not going to do anything bad right now, but I'm getting to the point where I'm scared that I might, so I need to go figure this out.' It's still happening in my body. I just know when to get in front of it."[video_embed id='1998360']WATCH: Kanye West gets emotional during rally in South Carolina [/video_embed]The day after West's emotional speech making inflammatory statements about abortion and slavery, he also took to Twitter to deliver a series of now-deleted tweets claiming that his wife, Kim Kardashian, and his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, were trying to “lock him up,” according to People.“Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday,” he wrote, as per the publication. “Kriss don’t play with me you and that calmye are not allowed around my children. Ya’ll tried to lock me up… If I get locked up like Mandela Y’all will know why.” The 43-year-old also mentioned Kim’s infamous sex tape and her 2007 Playboy profile in the Twitter rant, then added, “I’m at the ranch … come and get me.”The Kardashians haven’t publicly reacted to West’s recent actions, although an “insider” revealed to Us Weekly that the family is worried. “The Kardashians and people close to Kanye are definitely concerned,” the source said.Other have since come to be by Kanye's side during what appear to be challenging time. Comedian and friend Dave Chappelle flew to Wyoming to be there for the rapper, with Kanye sharing a playful video where he wanted Chappelle to be funny on the spot but settled for a hug and some awkward laughs from the man he called "a true friend." Chappelle famously went through his own public journey with mental health when he left his popular sketch series Chappelle's Show in 2005.

THANK YOU DAVE FOR HOPPING ON A JET TO COME SEE ME DOING WELL DAVE YOU ARE A GOD SEND AND A TRUE FRIEND ALL LOVE ? pic.twitter.com/ddLA0E9eLK

— ye (@kanyewest) July 21, 2020

In 2019, West opened up to David Letterman about having bipolar disorder and being treated for it. “When you’re in this state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything,” he said on the season two premiere of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. “Everyone—this is my experience, other people have different experiences—everyone now is an actor,” he continued. “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. You have this moment [where] you feel everyone wants to kill you. You pretty much don’t trust anyone.”[video_embed id='1996867']BEFORE YOU GO: dvsn find inspiration in troubled times [/video_embed]