Gucci Mane opened up about his struggles with mental health.
The rapper, 45, previously revealed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Speaking with The Breakfast Club, he and his wife, Keyshia Ka’oir, shared a detailed look at how they manage his condition and the steps they take to keep it under control.
“I take his apps off his phone,” Ka’oir explained. “First thing I do, I delete Instagram. I delete everything. Even if I gotta change his password, I’m changing it because I don’t need the public to know he’s having an episode.”
Ka’oir also shared that after a while, she learned to catch Mane’s episodes before they begin.
“Now, before the episodes come, I catch it,” she added. “That’s why he hasn’t had another one. How you catch it is he doesn’t speak to you, he wants to be left alone, he don’t eat, he does not sleep. Text messages, there’s a period after each word.”
Gucci Mane Has Come a Long Way Since Diagnosis
Ka’oir admitted that when Mane is having an episode, he becomes a different person. She added that the rapper can be “mean and disrespectful” during those moments.
Meanwhile, Mane shared that when he’s having an episode, he often doesn’t realize it and hears voices in his head.
Since his diagnosis, Mane has taken steps to address his condition. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the rapper decided to seek professional help, realizing that he had to hold himself “accountable and take care of my health.”
At the time, Ka’oir was pregnant, which also became the driving force for Mane to undergo therapy and medication. He also worked hard to recognize and avoid his triggers, including stress and alcohol.
The rapper added:
“I don’t want to raise a family, and then my mental health is gone. What if I have an episode I can’t come back from? So I just started to do the work, started seeking the help.”
Fans Show Love & Support
Fans have rallied behind Mane, praising his courage for being open about his condition.
One fan wrote, “Gucci is gonna save lives by being brave enough to talk about his Mental Health struggles. TY man, so glad you’re here.”
Another commented, “They came out the gate with REALNESS about mental illnesses!!! This is so much needed !!! This will help others soooo much!”
Someone noted, “Man, if you remember Gucci during his reign and you see him now… this is such a beautiful growth story. I appreciate the transparency and the testimonies to time and healing and having a supportive partner who really sees him.”
I have a family member with this issue and he does well as he takes medicine to control it. Good luck to you and your family.
This is the one big issue w/not only schizophrenia but also bipolar, and other mental illnesses. They don’t like to take their medication. I suppose it’s bc of side effects but they notoriously don’t stay compliant w/medication. Hope he does continue to take his.
my son struggles with the same diagnosis. The right therapy and medications has saved his life. Thank you for coming forward the more we talk about these struggles publicly hopefully more people will see the signs and get help.
Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can be due to gluten which can hurt the gut lining so less nutrients absorb. Lithium orotate may help and Schizophrenia….Zn may help lower Cu. Hair test to see good minerals/heavy metals on Amazon may help. Many people are low in Zn/Mg and gluten issues are worse now. Dairy/soy/sugar/GMO corn, soy, canola oil may also hurt. Supplements to restore low minerals and detoxing if needed may help.
It is a roller coaster, mandated to take a shot, and when the mandate is up,my son goes off his meds due to the side affects. And his personality changes and his normalliness goes away.
How sad for them and his family, who watches this happen.
My best friend Joanne V founded Schizophrenics Anonymous with support of Mental Health Alliance. She started her group in Farmington at a small office with only 2 or 3 other schizophrenics. She had a very good job at Ford (she hid her illness for years) and wanted them to know they could work and function by taking the right medications and getting therapy. It eventually went nationwide. She died in 2015 of other illness.
She was amazing in her help 24/7 to those afflicted with that disease. Miss her every day.
I realized that I was born with bipolar 1. I’ve realized staying on medication is the best thing. The struggles are finding the one that works. Having a support system to help when you are having an episode. Back when I was young people had no idea of how to deal with mental illness. Im so thankful I had a patient mother to help me.