Gucci Mane Opens Up About Schizophrenia, Bipolar Diagnosis
The 45-year-old rapper credits his wife Keyshia Ka’oir for his getting mental health help.
Gucci Mane looks toward the audience while performing onstage during Jackson State University’s Thee Show Homecoming Concert at the Lee E. Williams Athletic & Assembly Center in Jackson, Mississippi.
Photo by Aron Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images.
Gucci Mane is opening up about his mental health struggles. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, while promoting his memoir and album, Episodes, the trap superstar shared that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He also explained that managing his mental health conditions would be impossible without his wife, Keyshia Ka’oir.
Gucci shared that he sought professional help after he experienced an episode during the pandemic.
“I don’t ever wanna have another episode again. I’m like, I’m gonna see a therapist, if I have to take medicine — I kinda like threw in the towel,” the rapper continued. “Whatever I need to do to get better.”
“You’re seeing someone you don’t know,” said Ka’oir. “I felt like if I left, he wouldn’t have been the same. He needed someone to help him.”
Gucci Mane had a number of legal issues that culminated in a federal prison sentence that ended in 2016. Now the Atlanta rapper says he was “super embarrassed and hurt by the things I said.” In 2013, Gucci went on a now-infamous rant against industry notables like Drake and Nicki Minaj. After his release from prison, he said that he apologized to a number of artists hd offended.
“I felt bad. I felt terribly bad,” he said.
He shared that drugs, stress and lack of sleep were among his triggers. He also said that other stars did not offer support during his episodes. But Ka’oir was indispensable.
“My best decision was to marry her and be with her,” he said. “I got somebody to hold me accountable and I got somebody to watch TV with. Sometimes that’s all you wanna do... I don’t really need a lot.”
