In the days since holding a bizarre rally for his likely nonexistent presidential campaign in South Carolina over the weekend, Kanye West has been sending a steady stream of tweets from Cody, Wyoming, some of them expressing antagonism toward his wife, Kim Kardashian, and her mother, Kris Jenner.

The tone and content of the messages have incited widespread speculation that West, who has spoken extensively about his struggle with bipolar disorder, was undergoing a manic episode. West has suggested that Kardashian and Jenner were attempting to have him forcibly placed under medical care and that he was resisting those attempts. He has compared himself to the protagonist in Jordan Peele’s racially charged thriller and social satire Get Out, referred to Jenner as “Kris Jong-Un,” and implicitly accused Kardashian of cheating on him with Meek Mill when they met at a hotel to discuss prison reform. In the midst of the apparent familial conflict, he has posted footage of Dave Chappelle visiting him in Wyoming, tweeted an oblique reference to Drake, lamented that Lil Baby refused to appear on a song with him, and promoted a new album supposedly coming out this week. He has since deleted many of the tweets, including most of them directed at his family and fellow musical artists.

Now Kardashian has shared a statement about the situation via her Instagram story, calling for compassion and empathy toward their family. “Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” Kardashian wrote. “People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.” Later in the statement, she continued, “We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give grace to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.”

Read Kardashian’s full statement below.

As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.

Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.

I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of a being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions.

Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams or creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.

We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give grace to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most. I kindly ask that the media and the public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed to that we can get through this. Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye’s well being and for your understanding.

With Love and Gratitude,
Kim Kardashian West