Over the years, Mariah Carey has been the source of many rumors, related both to her personality and her lifestyle in general.
Did you hear, for example, that she may have been involved in a Satanic sex cult as a child?
In the latest issue of People Magazine, however, the legendary artist separates at least one fact from whatever fiction may or may not be out there about her.
Carey admits that she has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
This illness can mean many things to the individual who is afflicted with it, but it is most generally associated with episodes of mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
Carey tells People Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle that she was actually diagnosed way back in 2001 – when she was hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown – but “didn’t want to believe it” at the time.
Mariah then expounded:
“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me.
“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.”
Carey, of course, has always been known for having an eccentric personality.
She’s been considered high-maintenance and very demanding.
The word diva has often been thrown around across the Internet.
It’s also worth noting that Carey is one successful solo artist of all time.
She has a whopping 18 number-one hits to her name and more than 200 million records sold.
And yet she has been suffering from this disorder for nearly two decades, in relative silence, at least when it comes to public perception.
The singer says she’s currently in therapy and taking medication for bipolar II disorder, which involves periods of depression as well as hypomania.
People writes that this is “less severe than the mania associated with bipolar I disorder, but can still cause irritability, sleeplessness and hyperactivity.”
Mariah is also in the studio these days, working on an album that she hopes to release toward the end of 2018.
“For a long time I thought I had a severe sleep disorder,” she explains.
“But it wasn’t normal insomnia and I wasn’t lying awake counting sheep.
“I was working and working and working … I was irritable and in constant fear of letting people down.
“It turns out that I was experiencing a form of mania. Eventually I would just hit a wall. I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy.
“I would feel so lonely and sad – even guilty that I wasn’t doing what I needed to be doing for my career.”
Why has she come forward now, after all this time?
“I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder. I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the 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.”
For more on Mariah Carey and her battle with bipolar disorder, dealing with fame and raising twins, pick up the latest issue of People.
It goes on sale Friday, April 13.