--- ---  # 'It Can Be Incredibly Isolating.' Mariah Carey Opens Up About Her Bipolar II Disorder  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Apr 11, 2018 12:57 PM UTC  Singer Mariah Carey attends Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards. Singer Mariah Carey attends Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin—FilmMagic  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Apr 11, 2018 12:57 PM UTC Pop star Mariah Carey revealed her “struggles” with bipolar II disorder, after almost two decades of silence. “I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder,” the [singer told _People_](http://people.com/music/mariah-carey-bipolar-disorder-diagnosis-exclusive/)_._ “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.” Bipolar II is a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings that vacillate between emotional highs and lows, [according to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH)](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml). Unlike bipolar I, bipolar II does not typically include manic episodes — long-lasting highs so extreme they may prompt reckless or dangerous behavior, and even require hospitalization — but it still involves mood swings and resulting sleep, energy and behavioral disturbances. Carey told _People_ she was first diagnosed with the condition in 2001, after being hospitalized for a physical and emotional breakdown, but she “didn’t want to believe it” at first. After a difficult personal stretch, the artist said she is now in treatment — and ready to share her reality with the world. “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” Carey told _People_. “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.” In going public, Carey joins a group of celebrities who have recently decided to discuss their mental health, including [NBA star Kevin Love](http://time.com/5187641/kevin-love-panic-attacks/) and model [Chrissy Teigen](http://time.com/4691692/chrissy-teigen-postpartum-depression-essay/). Mariah Carey Has Bipolar II Disorder. What's That? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5236032/mariah-carey-bipolar-ii-diagnosis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5236032/mariah-carey-bipolar-ii-diagnosis/"},"headline":"'It Can Be Incredibly Isolating.' Mariah Carey Opens Up About Her Bipolar II Disorder","datePublished":"2018-04-11T12:57:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:56:06.462Z","description":"She was diagnosed in 2001, but never spoke publicly about it","url":"https://time.com/5236032/mariah-carey-bipolar-ii-diagnosis/","keywords":["Mental Health","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0936e611bf9870de/69892d59e76ad2779e631a79/mariah-carey.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0936e611bf9870de/69892d59e76ad2779e631a79/mariah-carey.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards","caption":"Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards","creditText":"Axelle/Bauer-Griffin—FilmMagic","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-health/","name":"Mental Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5236032/mariah-carey-bipolar-ii-diagnosis/","name":"'It Can Be Incredibly Isolating.' Mariah Carey Opens Up About Her Bipolar II Disorder"}}]}] ```