After spending years battling the condition privately, Mariah Carey has now publicly revealed she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In a recent interview with People, the superstar opened up about the upheaval the condition has caused in her personal and professional life, which began in 2001 when she was hospitalized following a breakdown.
"Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she says. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn't do that anymore. 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."
Bipolar disorder is defined by the Mayo Clinic as, "a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression)."
Fortunately, Carey's decision to speak up about the condition now is due in part to how well her treatment is going. The GRAMMY winner also wants to use this opportunity to encourage others to communicate their struggles with bipolar disorder and seek proper help.
“I’m just in a really good place right now where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder,” said Carey. “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me.”
