What is Bipolar II Disorder? Chappell Roan talked about TikTok triggering her condition

After years of struggling as a singer, Chappell Roan has finally found success in her career. From opening for Olivia Rodrigo on her world tour to releasing her own debut album, the singer-songwriter has experienced a rapid rise to fame, which has been challenging to navigate due to her Bipolar II Disorder diagnosis.

According to WebMD, Bipolar II Disorder is a mental illness with symptoms similar to Bipolar I Disorder, with one major difference. Both disorders involve cyclic moods of lows and highs. However, with Bipolar II, the highs never reach the intense, mania-level as they do in Bipolar I.

In her September 2023 interview with People, Chappell Roan admitted how her growing popularity on TikTok made her struggle because of her Bipolar II Disorder, adding:

"The app breeds mental illness. When I was really, really sick and I was posting twice a day and going live every day, it rewards that type of behavior. I had to really figure out what was right for me, and I'm still figuring that out."

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Chappell Roan was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder at 22

Chappell Roan was first diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder at the age of 22 in 2020. The singer-songwriter isn't alone in her mental illness. According to WebMD, Bipolar II Disorder affects over 6 million people in the US, contributing to 2.5% of the nation's total population.

The website also notes that the symptoms of this disease first show up in teenagers or people in their early 20s, which is what happened in Roan's case.

Two years later, the Casual singer opened up about her struggles on Instagram, expressing how difficult it had been to "keep it together" and release her songs. In the caption of her post, she added:

"I was in full swing hypomania when naked in Manhattan released, which I’m out of now. And the weeks leading up to and through the “my kink is karma”release campaign, I’ve been in intensive out patient therapy/ individual therapy 4 days a week and it’s definitely been difficult to balance promoting and being consistently active on social media."

Chappell Roan ended her post by saying that while she was "in a healthy spot," she wanted others to know how important it was "to talk about mental health."

In May 2023, the Femininomenon singer also shared about her mental illness with her TikTok audience in a video, which led to her struggling with body image issues, saying:

"I feel like no matter what weight or how toned I am, it simply isn't enough. I'm working through it at the best I can and I'm grateful I have the means to afford therapy and occasional time off."

Chappell went on to say that things were very exciting for her at the moment, reportedly hinting at her album, which was then due in several months, further revealing:

"I'm realizing that success actually makes me quite uncomfortable and self-conscious and I'm not sure why yet. This career is f***ing hard. I'll be fine per usual but thank you everyone for the continued support."

In her September 2023 interview with People, Chappell Roan, who had over 150,000 followers on TikTok at the time, also confessed that learning how to express herself on the platform had been a long and difficult journey. She stated:

"It just was really difficult for me to learn how to express myself on TikTok in a way that didn't feel like I was just dead inside, because I think most artists feel like social media is soul-sucking for art."

Fast forward to June 2024, when Chappell Roan paused mid-show at one of the concerts of her The Midwest Princess Tour in North Carolina.

According to The Wrap, Roan shared with her audience the fact that she was "having a hard day," speaking from the stage:

"I just want to be honest with the crowd. I just feel a little off today because I think that my career is just kind of going really fast and it’s really hard to keep up."

Chappell Roan continued:

"This is all I’ve ever wanted, it’s just so — it’s just heavy sometimes. I’m not trying to give you a lesser show. There’s just a lot on my mind."

Unlike what Roan could've expected, the crowd that had gathered for her show was supportive and held up heart hand for the Red Wine Supernova singer while chanting, "We love you."