Jamie Lynn Spears has urged people to "respect" those with mental illnesses, as she supported Halsey’s recent tweets about bipolar disorder.
Halsey, 25, recently slammed those who "vilify people with mental illnesses" in a lengthy series of tweets referencing Kanye West’s bizarre Twitter rant, where he claimed his wife Kim Kardashian is "trying to lock him up".
In her tweets, Halsey said she was "disturbed" by comments she had seen in which people mocked Kanye’s mental state, and said: "Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isn’t a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence."
And now, 29-year-old actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears – who is the younger sister of Britney Spears – has supported Halsey’s message, asking for "respect" and "privacy" for all those battling with their mental health.
Quoting one of Halsey’s tweets, the former ‘Zoey 101′ star wrote on Twitter: "’If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence’- HALSEY. If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same.
"I pray this doesn’t bring shame to anyone dealing with mental illness, you are not alone, and you are loved. Sending all my love and prayers to all of you (sic)"
Halsey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 10 years ago, and said in her Twitter rant that people who disagree with Kanye’s views should resort to "contributing to stigma that damages an entire community" by making jokes about those with bipolar or similar mental health conditions.
The ‘You Should Be Sad’ singer wrote: "A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it. Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and vilify people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go… this is the exact triggering s*** that causes people to keep quiet about it … You can hate someone’s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs. If you wanna think someone is an a******, go ahead. Lots of people with mental illnesses are great. Lots of them are a*******. Because they are people. With nuanced personalities. But making jokes specifically targeted towards bipolar hurts more than the 1 person ur angry with … Sincerely, Human Being with a Decade Long Bipolar Diagnosis. (sic)"