Trans YouTube star Nikita Dragun is opening up about her mental health journey.
In a new video titled ‘what happened’, Nikita reveals she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder last year following a manic episode that left her hospitalised.
“This is one of the hardest things for me to talk about,” she started. “In some ways, I feel guilty for feeling this way. Today, I would like to share that I am bipolar and it feels really great to say that.”
Nikita goes on to explain that she had her first manic episode about six months ago when she temporarily moved back home to Virginia. While in Virginia, the influencer says she was forced to confront childhood trauma she had long repressed which triggered a manic episode.
“It led to, on Thanksgiving, me walking out of the house by myself freezing, in a dress and stripper heels,” she says through tears. “There’s another moment I won’t get into, but like an altercation happened and I ended up in a police car. I got brough to a hospital. I had to be evaluated from head-to-toe and I was placed under a detaining order, which basically means you’re a threat to yourself or other people.”
Nikita was admitted to a behavioural health center for eight days and received a bipolar diagnosis.
Shortly after this time, the 26-year-old took to Instagram to share snippets about what she was going through.
This is not the first time that Nikita has opened up about her mental health. In October 2021, Nikita uploaded a now-deleted vlog titled ‘RIP Nikita Dragun‘ throughout which she shared several intimate clips crying about her controversial public image and apologising to her audience over the years.
“I just felt like I kept being painted out as like, the bad guy, you know,” Nikita says in footage from 2019. “When everyone is just saying so much about you that’s like not true on top of like all the stress [of] what’s happening in your life, it’s just like, am I really that awful of a person?” Nikita also revealed in the same clip that she was attempting to get sober from “everything” after hitting “rock bottom”.
While the vlog drew criticism for its clickbait title given the high rates of violence against trans women— particularly Black trans women— and high mortality rates of trans people in America, many fans applauded Nikita for her vulnerability.
The reception to Nikita’s video has been overwhelmingly positive, with fans flooding the comment section to send their love to the creator.
Nikita responded to the outpouring of support in a pinned comment, writing, “these comments have brought me to tears. so many of us face mental health issues and sometimes u can feel so alone. thank u for all the love and support <3”.
We wish Nikita a safe and healthy journey.