Chappell Roan explains how bipolar II disorder was triggered by rapid rise to fame

Chappell Roan has opened up about her bipolar II disorder, and how her global stardom triggered feelings of hypomania.

The pop star, 26, experienced a recent rise to fame after opening for Olivia Rodrigo on her Guts world tour earlier this year. With her critically acclaimed debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, reaching hit streaming levels, Chappell Roan – real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz – admitted that she was struggling with symptoms relating to her bipolar II disorder around the same time she reached mainstream popularity.

“I started gaining a lot of followers when I was being really insane on TikTok,” Roan explained in a cover story for Rolling Stone published on September 10. Her 2020 single, “Pink Pony Club,” had achieved success on the video sharing platform, bolstered by the singer’s TikToks about the music industry and dating in Los Angeles.

She revealed to the outlet that she was experiencing hypomania, a common symptom of bipolar II that involves elevated mood and hyperactivity, during this time. “I wasn’t sleeping,” Roan said. “I was on the incorrect meds. I had the energy and the delusion and realized that this app is fueled off of mental illness. Straight up.”

Her mental illness had gone so far that the “Casual” singer began to experience suicidal ideation. Roan decided to enter outpatient therapy in 2022, just as she was opening for Rodrigo during her Guts tour in May that year. “I realized I can’t live like this. I can’t live being so depressed or feel so lost that I want to kill myself. I just got my s*** together,” she shared, before admitting how “grateful” she felt that she sought mental health treatment before her recent rise to fame.

“I would not have been able to handle any of this even a year ago today. It would’ve just been too much,” Roan said.

After decades of struggling with her mental health, the “Red Wine Supernova” singer was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder at age 22. According to the Mayo Clinic, bipolar disorder is a condition characterized by extreme mood swings, such as mania and depression. For patients with bipolar II disorder, they may experience at least one major depressive episode and hypomanic episodes, though never reach a full-blown manic episode.

Last month, Roan made a staunch public statement about personal boundaries after she shared multiple social media posts about “crazy” fan behavior. In a series of TikToks posted on August 19, she slammed “entitled” fans after they had allegedly begun stalking her and her family, bullying her online, and turning abusive when she refused to pose for photos or give hugs.

The “Femininomenon” singer later emphasized her stance in another statement posted on Instagram, in which she explained why she must “draw lines and set boundaries” when it comes to interactions with her fans.

“For the past 10 years I’ve been going non-stop to build my project and it’s come to the point that I need to draw lines and set boundaries,” she wrote in her Instagram post on August 23. “[I’ve wanted] to be an artist for a very long time. I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you s***.”

She continued: “I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child. I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it. When I’m on stage, when I’m performing, when I’m in drag, when I’m at a work event, when I’m doing press... I am at work. Any other circumstance, I am not in work mode. I am clocked out.”

Roan believed that certain “predatory” behaviors had been disguised as “superfan” behavior, which she said was normalized “because of the way women who are well-known have been treated in the past”.

“I want to love my life, be outside, giggle with my friends, go to the movie theater, feel safe, and do all the things every single person deserves to do,” she continued. “Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my family and friends. Please stop assuming things about me. There is always more to the story. I am scared and tired.”

“There is a part of myself that I save just for my project and all of you. There is a part of myself that is just for me, and I don’t want that taken away from me. Thank you for reading this. I appreciate your understanding and support,” Roan concluded.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.