Kanye West Opens Up About Living With A Mental Illness: ”This Is Like Having A Sprained Brain, Like Having a Sprained Ankle”

Kanye West says the world makes it harder for people with mental illnesses. ”People do everything to make it worse.”

The Chicago-bred rapper and businessman is featured in the new season of Netflix’s interview “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” hosted by David Letterman. Several excerpts from the interview have been released online that shows West going in depth about what it’s like living with bipolar disorder. In a newly released clip, the 41-year-old compared the pressure people with mental illnesses feel from society to someone with a sprained ankle.

“I can just tell you what I’m feeling at the time, and I feel a heightened connection with the universe when I’m ramping up. It is a health issue. This is like a sprained brain, like having a sprained ankle,” West says, pointing to his head. “If someone has a sprained ankle, you’re not going to push on him more. With us, once our brain gets to a point of spraining, people do everything to make it worse.”

West suffered from what seemed to be a nervous breakdown back in 2016, which eventually led to his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. West also reflected on a time when he was handcuffed to a hospital bed and left alone, which he says only made his experience worse.

The season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” includes other guests like Ellen DeGeneres and Melinda Gates. The new season hits Netflix this Friday.