Mariah Carey Reveals Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis: ‘I Lived in Denial and Isolation’

Mariah Carey opened up about her battle with bipolar disorder in an interview with People. The pop icon says she was diagnosed in 2001 when she was “hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown,” and she “didn’t want to believe it.” She only sought treatment recently—including therapy and medication for “bipolar II disorder”—after a very difficult couple of years, Carey said. The singer thought that her sleeplessness was due to a “severe sleep disorder,” but it turned out to be a form of mania. “Eventually I would just hit a wall,” she explained. “I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy.” Carey said she lived in “constant fear someone would expose” her. “It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore,” she told the magazine. “I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love—writing songs and making music.” According to the magazine, Carey is currently back in the studio working an album due later this year.