Halsey is "disturbed" by how the internet makes light of mental health struggles.
On Monday, the "Be Kind" singer, 25, wrote a series of tweets that called on fans to be compassionate about others' mental health wellbeing, not turning a manic episode into a spectacle.
Though she did not specifically name the rapper, Halsey's message seemed to reference Kanye West after he posted a string of cryptic tweets, ranting about his wife, Kim Kardashian West, mother-in-law Kris Jenner and other topics late Monday night. A source told PEOPLE earlier this month that the artist, 43, is struggling through a bipolar manic episode, which concerned his loved ones.
Halsey explained how ridiculing a mental health battle adds to the stigma that prevents people from seeking help.
"No jokes right now," she began in her plea to followers. "I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isnt a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence."
"A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it," continued Halsey. "Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and [vilify] people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go…this is the exact triggering s— that causes people to keep quiet about it."
She added: "You can hate someone’s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs."
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Halsey — who's been open about her own experiences with mental illness — said not to judge someone based on their diagnosis. The singer explored her mental health battles in her most recent album, Manic, as well.
"If you wanna think someone is an assh—, go ahead. Lots of people with mental illnesses are great. Lots of them are assh—s. Because they are people. With nuanced personalities," she wrote. "But making jokes specifically targeted towards bipolar hurts more than the 1 person ur angry with."
Halsey concluded her message by writing, "Sincerely, Human Being with a Decade Long Bipolar Diagnosis."
Born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, Halsey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 17, and she revealed that she has had herself committed to a psychiatric hospital twice to get ahead of the manic depressive periods.
“I’ve been committed twice since [I became] Halsey, and no one’s known about it. But I’m not ashamed of talking about it now,” she told Rolling Stone in June 2019. “It’s been my choice. I’ve said to [my manager], ‘Hey, I’m not going to do anything bad right now, but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared that I might, so I need to go figure this out.’ It’s still happening in my body. I just know when to get in front of it.”
Halsey explained that manic periods are “that thing in the back of our minds that drives us to outrageous thoughts. … You are controlled by those impulses rather than logic and reason.”
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