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    • Chappell Roan, bipolar disorder and how we mistreat artists.
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    Chappell Roan, bipolar disorder and how we mistreat artists.

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    Breakthrough queer pop star Chappell Roan recently canceled two festival appearances and has since been called “unprofessional” and “not cut out for fame” by fans-turned-trolls.

    But those same fans probably know that Roan struggles with Bipolar II Disorder, which they say makes it difficult for her to regulate her emotions and navigate her newfound success. “Things have become overwhelming over the last few weeks and I’m really feeling it,” she wrote in an Instagram Story on Friday.

    The lack of empathy for Roan’s decision to prioritize her health shows how little so many people know about mental health issues and bipolar disorder in particular.

    “The stress of performing, the stress of delivering, all of that worsens your baseline,” explains Judith Joseph, MD, a psychiatrist and media consultant who researches high-functioning mental health conditions. “Being an artist and touring is stressful in itself, let alone having to deal with a stress-prone illness.”

    What is Bipolar II Disorder?

    One fan tweeted on Friday that Roan “literally looked the happiest I’ve ever seen her” at her shows in London, and less than a week later she’s hit rock bottom. However, bipolar disorder often works exactly the same way.

    According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder (formerly called manic depression) is a mental illness that causes abnormal changes in a person’s mood, energy, and activity.

    “It’s high highs and low lows that can impact daily performance,” Rwenshaun Miller, LCMHCS, a psychologist practicing in North Carolina, previously told USA TODAY.

    Bipolar II disorder has patterns of depressive episodes and hypomania, a less severe form of manic episodes in bipolar I disorder. Depression is a more intense and frequent depression, and the “up” episodes are never as extreme as “full-blown mania,” according to WebMD.

    While most people experience a period of sadness in their lives, depression in bipolar disorder can be more challenging because there are fewer treatment options and the lows tend to be very low, Joseph says.

    Many Americans suffer from bipolar disorder. Understand the cause and treatment of this condition.

    “It affects me every day”

    Roan has been open about how her Bipolar II symptoms affect her career, her ability to regulate her emotions, and her response to success. In 2022, she was open with her fans on Instagram.

    “I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and it was quite difficult to keep it together and release these songs. “I was on medication and was in full hypomania when Naked in Manhattan came out, which I no longer have,” she wrote. “I was in intensive outpatient/individual therapy 4 days a week and it was definitely difficult to keep the balance… I don’t really talk about it much, but it affects me daily and is a pretty big part of my music.”

    In May 2023, ahead of the release of her chart-topping hit “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” she updated her fans about her mental health and her relationship with fame.

    “This job is very difficult for me to process and maintain a healthy life and mindset,” she said in a TikTok video. “It’s all very exciting at the moment and I’m realizing that success actually makes me quite uncomfortable and insecure and I don’t know why yet.”

    Apparently nothing could have prepared her for the storm of success that lay ahead.

    Since her rise to fame this spring, Roan has continued to express both her gratitude and her distress to her fans. At a show in June, she took a moment to talk about her rapid success.

    “I just want to be honest with the audience. I just feel a bit uncomfortable today because I think my career is progressing really fast and it’s really hard to keep up,” she said.

    Touring is already stressful for musicians, but bipolar makes it even worse

    Being a touring musician takes a toll on the body, and on top of that, dealing with mental illness can be a heavy burden. According to Joseph, bipolar disorder can also cause sensitivity to changes in light, time zones and schedules.

    “The difference with major depression is that there are many physiological cycles that can negatively impact mood,” she says. “You have to protect your body’s physiology.”

    “Honestly, it’s really hard to deal with bipolar disorder as a touring musician,” says Zac Carper, the frontman of FIDLAR, an American punk and garage rock band.

    Carper was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which has helped him better understand and meet his needs while on the road. He now sticks to a “strict routine”; no alcohol, drugs or smoking, just exercise, eat right, keep diaries and sleep well.

    “A lot of this lifestyle requires constant interaction with other people, so all of us in the band have to find time by ourselves every day to just take some time for ourselves and recharge,” he says.

    Other artists have also been open about their experiences with Bipolar I and II, including Halsey, Bebe Rexha, Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey and Selena Gomez. Still, expectations for celebrities to overcome the pain remain high.

    Musicians also need sick days

    The pressure to overcome lows can worsen depressive episodes, burnout, and overall psychological well-being, explains Joseph.

    Carper says artists face pressure that “the show must always go on,” but that “shouldn’t be the standard.”

    “We want to give everything on stage,” he explains. “When you cancel, you feel terrible for your fans, your bandmates and all the people behind the scenes who make it happen.”

    Joseph works with musicians and she says sometimes it’s necessary to distance themselves from what they love.

    “Quiting is a grieving process for them,” she says. “In the short term they’re disappointing the fans, but in the long term if they don’t slow down and take care of themselves, they’re going to disappoint people forever.”

    According to Joseph, taking small breaks can help prevent burnout and severe exhaustion or mental illness.

    “We have the right to take sick days for ourselves because mental well-being is the foundation,” Carper says. “And without them you can’t be a successful touring musician.”

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    Madoc Meredith
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