Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane has revealed in his new memoir, Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man, that he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. He and his wife, Keyshia Ka’oir, appeared on The Breakfast Club on Monday, October 20, to promote his book, where they shared how they manage his condition.
Mane revealed that a mental health episode during the COVID-pandemic convinced him to seek professional help for his mental health. “After that, I told myself I really need to hold myself accountable and take care of my health,” he said. “I don’t never want to have an episode again. Imma see a therapist, if I have to take medicine – I just threw the towel in.”
Mane’s wife, who has supported him throughout his condition, claims to have had his staff forcefully take him to the hospital during one of his episodes. “At one point I called his attorney, I called some bodyguards, and I planned a whole kidnap, and we kidnapped him and took him to the hospital,” she said. “He was trying to fight them and everything, but it was six of them, he couldn’t handle it. We threw him in the car, he tried to jump out the car, so we put him in the center of the car, and that was his last episode.”
Since receiving help, Ka’oir claims to recognize when his episodes are starting and how to be proactive about them. “How you catch it is he doesn’t speak to you, he wants to be left alone, he don’t eat, he does not sleep. Text messages, there’s a period after each word,” she said. “And I’m like, 'You’re going through an episode, you’re sick.'”
She went on to explain how she protects Mane’s public image. “I have a system,” she said. “I take his apps off his phone. First thing I do, I delete Instagram, I delete everything. Even if I gotta change his password, I’m changing it, because I don’t need the public to know he’s having an episode.”
Mane described his perception during episodes as, “out of his mind.” He said, “You're kind of like, in a warped world. It’s a psychosis, hearing voices, telling you things.” Since his professional diagnosis, Mane has been attending therapy and taking medication to control his disorder. “I’m seeing a therapist, I’m taking medicine she prescribed for me, and it worked. And I haven’t had any other problems.”
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