Nothing Is Funny About Kanye West's Reported Psych Evaluation

Social media has been in an uproar for the past 48 hours over Kanye West. Shortly after his “Saint Pablo” tour was canceled, the rapper was also admitted into the hospital for a psych evaluation. According to TMZ, Kanye was being seen by a physician for severe sleep deprivation prior to his admission. Sources also say Kanye was restrained when he refused to go.

Many people have mixed reactions when it comes to Kanye. Some say he’s a musical genius, while others say he’s an arrogant asshole. Kanye has changed over the years. Sometimes he has very expressive, and other times he has seemingly random outbursts about how he’s feeling.

Some people love his rants, and others call them obnoxious. While everyone has different opinions, I rarely hear anyone say, “What is the source of them?”

When Kanye canceled his entire tour after having another outburst on stage, people were angry but not many were asking “Is he OK?” We never really ask if he’s OK or if something is wrong. Some people even encourage his outbursts. A lot of his fans think his behavior is cool, and they never think anything else of it.

Since the psych evaluation has been reported I haven’t seen much concern. What I do see is a lot of laughter and mocking going on. Some people have said, “Must be the Kardashian curse.” Others have said, “He’s just trying to get attention, that’s what he gets for being an asshole.” No matter how you may feel about Kanye, mental health issues are very real. Just because he has all of this money and fame doesn’t mean he isn’t human. Just because he has angry rants and has said things we may not agree with, doesn’t mean he can’t be in pain. Obviously something is going on with him.

Some people also tend to forget Kanye did lose his mother and took it hard. While this may have been years ago, a lot of pain can still come from it. A lot of build up mental anguish that’s never been resolved can be in his mind. This may not be the exact source of what’s going on with him right now, but it can very well be an underlying factor.

People tend to overlook mental health issues, signs, and symptoms until it becomes too late. Maybe Kanye’s attitude is more than meets the eye. Mental health issues can be complex. You’re not your true self when going through those kind of situations. People go untreated for years. While we may not be entirely sure what’s happening with Kanye and his mental health right now, it’s nothing to joke about. Nothing is funny about mental illness. I hope he gets the help he needs.

This post originally appeared on Afropunk.

Photo by Jason Persse – Kanye West @ MoMA