Kanye West has blamed a traumatic brain injury for the antisemitic spiral that torched his career – saying bipolar disorder left him ‘losing [his] grip entirely’ and pulled him towards ‘the swastika’.
In a page-long Wall Street Journal advertisement headlined To Those I Hurt, the 48-year-old rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, claims a 2002 car crash ’caused injury to the right frontal lobe of (his) brain’ but the injury went ‘unnoticed’ until 2023.
This, he said, ’caused serious damage to my mental health’ and the triggered bipolar disorder that led to him becoming ‘detached from my true self’ and, at times, ‘unrecognisable’ to people who loved him.
It is the latest twist in West’s apology campaign, which began in December 2023 when he posted a statement in Hebrew apologising to the Jewish community after his remarks sparked fresh outrage.
Now West, who is soon to release a new album, says he is ‘done with antisemitism’ – while stressing he is not a ‘Nazi or antisemite’ and adding: ‘I love Jewish people.’
But Jewish groups have warned an apology does not erase the harm – and that the real test is whether he stops amplifying antisemitic ideas.
West’s statement also reopens a wider medical debate: what actually causes bipolar disorder, what counts as a trigger, and when should a head injury raise red flags?
And, crucially, could you be at risk – even if you’ve never had symptoms before?
Ye has blamed a traumatic brain injury for the antisemitic spiral that torched his career – saying bipolar disorder left him ‘losing [his] grip entirely’ and pulled him towards ‘the swastika’
In a page-long Wall Street Journal advertisement headlined To Those I Hurt, the 48-year-old rapper claims a 2002 car crash ’caused injury to the right frontal lobe of (his) brain’ but the injury went ‘unnoticed’ until 2023
Can a brain injury trigger bipolar disorder?
West’s central claim is that a head injury helped trigger his bipolar disorder years later.
In truth, Doctors have long known that traumatic brain injury can be followed by changes in mood, behaviour and judgement – and the psychiatric fallout can be wide-ranging.
Former Olympic champion James Cracknell has also spoken about how he underwent an extreme persoinality change after a road accident that almost killed him in 2010.
In his memoir Touching Distance, he recalled the aftermath of the smash which damaged the frontal lobe of his brain. ‘When I came out of intensive care, I wasn’t me any more. All of my friends and family told me that my entire personality had changed.’
Cracknell has described the knock-on effects in stark, practical terms – from memory to motivation to judgement.
‘My short-term memory was gone. I couldn’t make decisions. Had no motivation,’ he wrote, painting a picture of how brain injury can disrupt the very functions that keep daily life on track.
But could such an injury trigger bipolar disorder – a chronic mental health condition characterised by extreme, often long-lasting shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels, alternating between highs known as manias and depressed states?
Former Olympic champion James Cracknell has also spoken about how he underwent an extreme personality change after a road accident that almost killed him in 2010.
In his memoir Touching Distance, he recalled the aftermath of the smash which damaged the frontal lobe of his brain. ‘When I came out of intensive care, I wasn’t me any more’. Pictured, Cracknell in 2000 alongside Sir Steve Redgrave, Tim Foster and Matthew Pinsent celebrating gold in the Men’s Coxless Four Rowing Final at the Olympic Games in Sydney
A Swedish register study published in 2024 in Psychiatry Research found people who had suffered a traumatic brain injury were at higher risk of later developing both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – with the link stronger for bipolar.
The researchers found the risk rose with injury severity, was higher when the injury occurred at older ages, and appeared stronger in women than men. Crucially, the association also held up in sibling comparisons – suggesting it wasn’t simply down to genetics.
And a landmark Danish study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry in 2014, which tracked 113,906 people with head injuries, found head injury was linked to a higher risk of several psychiatric disorders later on – including bipolar disorder.
The researchers reported the strongest association for bipolar disorder when head injuries happened between the ages of 11 and 15, and noted the increased risk could persist for years.
This evidence does not prove bipolar disorder is caused by accidents – and experts argue that genetics, stress, sleep loss and substance use can all contribute.
But head injuries can be a risk factor and more severe injuries appear to carry greater risk.
What else causes bipolar disorder?
According to mental health charity Mind, no one knows exactly why bipolar disorder develops.
Ye claims bipolar disorder led to him becoming ‘detached from my true self’ and, at times, ‘unrecognisable’ to people who loved him. Pictured, Ye with former wife Kim Kardashian in 2019
Instead, experts believe it’s likely driven by a combination of factors that can increase someone’s chances of developing the condition in the first place.
Mind lists several possible contributors, including childhood trauma, stressful life events, brain chemistry, family links, and the effects of medication, drugs and alcohol.
It also notes that stress can act as a trigger for episodes of bipolar mania and depression – and warns that ‘doing too much, or going to extremes’ can be ‘a recipe for a mood episode’.
This matters because it helps explain why bipolar disorder can appear to ‘come out of nowhere’, or why it flares up at particular moments.
Other triggers for episodes include relationship breakdowns, bereavement, financial pressure, bullying, isolation, heavy drinking, recreational drugs, or simply prolonged sleep disruption.
How is bipolar diagnosed… and treated?
Bipolar disorder is diagnosed clinically – based on symptoms over time, how severe they are, and how much they disrupt daily life.
The key feature is episodes at both ends of the mood spectrum: depression and mania.
During depression, people may feel persistently low or irritable, lose energy and interest in everyday life, struggle with sleep, and find it hard to concentrate.
During mania, they can feel unusually energised, need far less sleep, become agitated or distracted, and make risky or out-of-character decisions.
In severe episodes, some people experience psychosis – such as hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, or holding fixed false beliefs.
Clinicians also look closely at timing and context. Ye suggests his condition was missed because of the brain injury he says he sustained – mood symptoms that appear after a head injury, particularly alongside new cognitive problems, are often simply put down to the brain injury itself.
Treatment aims to reduce the frequency and intensity of episodes with medication such as mood stabilisers and antipsychotics.
Talking therapies can also help people spot early warning signs, manage stress, and build routines around sleep, exercise and daily structure to reduce relapse risk.
Could you be at risk of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder can affect anyone, but some factors make it more likely.
These include having a close relative with the condition, a history of significant childhood trauma, or major life stress alongside disrupted sleep.
Recreational drugs and alcohol can also destabilise mood – and a serious head injury may increase risk too, particularly if it’s followed by lasting behavioural changes or thinking and memory issues.
The NHS advises to see a GP if you have extreme changes in your moods that last a long time or impact your everyday life, if you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treatments are not helping.
