MadameNoire Featured Video

If you caught Sunday night’s episode of “Real Housewives of Atlanta”, you know that the gloves really came of in the ongoing dispute between Phaedra and Kenya. When the former Miss USA learned that Phaedra was referring to her as a bipolar alcoholic, you could almost instantly tell that a nerve had been hit. In a recent blog post on Bravo.com, Kenya opens up about the role mental illness played in her life and why Phaedra’s statements bothered her so much. Here is some of what she had to say.

On dealing with mental illness in her personal life:

” Mental health has always been a passion of mine when I sought answers from my mother’s behavior toward me growing up.”

“My mother literally tried to destroy me. But I’m still here and I’m thriving. And I’m not easily broken. Being emotional at times, reactionary, or angered does not make you are chemically imbalanced. It makes you human.”

On why Phaedra’s comments were insensitive and mean-spirited:

“There are people who greatly suffer from mental illness and this is no laughing matter and certainly not one to be made a mockery of with terms like “bipolar” thrown around simply to humiliate or smear an individual for revenge.Being bipolar is a lifelong disorder marked by great suffering from extensive depressive states that often are accompanied by suicidal thoughts most often successively followed by manic states presenting over two weeks or more. These symptoms are crippling and render the patient often unproductive or functional in daily life. I am none of the above. People have real and actual mental health issues, and I have seen the possibility of this from my own mother. I feel Phaedra’s atrocious mischaracterizations were especially cruel considering she was the only woman on the show I confided in regarding my lifelong struggles with my family regarding this. “

While I’m no fan of Kenya, she makes a valid point. Bipolar disorder is in fact a serious illness and people who actually suffer from this disorder should be considered when the word is frivolously thrown around as an insult.

What do you think? Does Kenya have a point?

 

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Photo courtesy of WENN

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN