Gucci Mane is getting real about his mental health journey — and he’s not holding anything back.
The 45-year-old rapper, who’s long been open about his transformation from his darker days to the man he is now, revealed that he’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He shared his story in his new book Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man and opened up even further during a candid chat with wife Keyshia Ka’oir on The Breakfast Club.
For Gucci, the road to understanding his mental health hasn’t been simple. He explained that when he used to have episodes, he didn’t even recognize what was happening. “You’re hearing voices…I might think that you’re trying to fight and you ain’t did nothing,” he said. “In my mind, it’s the truth.”
He described those moments as being trapped in “psychosis” or a “warped world” — experiences that left him disoriented and exhausted. The turning point came in 2020, when one particularly severe episode pushed him to seek real help.
“After that, I was like, man, I got to really just hold myself accountable and take care of my health. I don’t ever want to have an episode again. If I have to see a therapist, if I have to take medicine… I kinda threw the towel in, like, do what I need to do to get better,” he said.
Gucci revealed that even something as routine as being put under anesthesia — while getting his teeth done — once triggered an episode. That’s when he realized just how fragile his mental balance could be and how much care it needed.
Since then, he’s made major changes. He started therapy and medication, stopped using drugs and alcohol, and began managing his stress — something he admits used to be one of his biggest triggers. “I was so stressed out,” he said, recalling the weight of his legal troubles.
“You got to do the work yourself if you want to really get better,” he added. “People can want it for you, but you still got to want it more than they do.”
Keyshia, who has been by his side through it all, also shared how she helps him maintain balance. “I have a system. 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,” she explained.
“I control that. You’re not going on Instagram, you’re not going on Twitter, it’s deleted. I control everything at home. Now, before the episodes come, I catch it. That’s why he hasn’t had another one. 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.”
It’s a strikingly honest look into how the couple manages something that’s often stigmatized and misunderstood — and a reminder that healing is a team effort.
