Kim Kardashian West spoke about her husband’s bipolar disorder amid erratic behavior on Twitter over the last few days. Kim has never spoken publicly about Kanye’s bipolar disorder. However, she  issued a lengthy statement on Instagram defending her husband. She noted that she has avoided speaking about this subject publicly out of respect for her kids as well as her husband’s right to privacy:

“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… He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressure of 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 sometimes do not align with his intentions.” she wrote.

Her statement came just hours after he reportedly posted and subsequently deleted a tweet in which he claimed he wanted to divorce her. However, she made it clear she stands by him no matter the struggle. She seemingly confirmed that West’s recent behavior, including his presidential campaign rally and tweets, are part of an issue involving his mental health. She requested privacy and “compassion and empathy” from others, concluding:

“We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.”