London based dubstep DJ Benga abruptly announced his retirement from DJing back in 2014 to focus on starting a family. Last month the real secret as to why he chose to go behind the scenes was revealed to be mental health issues, specifically bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The DJ let his fans know in a series of tweets including one with an offer for someone to interview him so he could speak his truth,
I might as well explain it on here. My bipolar was brought on by drugs and the schizophrenia was the result of excessive touring.
— BENGA (@iambenga) September 16, 2015
Who wants to do my lead interview on my mental health issue I would like to get this heard now. I'm asked so much about my retirement.
— BENGA (@iambenga) September 16, 2015
The Guardian was the first to take him up on his offer with an in-depth truth revealing interview. The DJ reveals he started losing control of his own body in winter 2013. Benga began giving away his own personal items, including his favorite rose gold rolex, to strangers without knowing what he was doing.
Benga links his mental illness to the progression of his substance abuse, ‘I’d been taking them since I was 17 years old, but it really started to affect me when I was about 22, 23. The majority was ecstasy but I also discovered ketamine when I was 25. I started to get anxiety and paranoia, but it’s always been in my nature to carry on and think that everything is going to go away'.
He found himself trapped in a cycle that many people face today without realizing the true damage they're doing to their mental health, ‘I found myself getting high because of it – I’d be in a situation and I’d be anxious, so I’d think: ‘Let’s get out of it.’ People would say to me: ‘You need to slow down,’ but I didn’t recognize that anything was wrong'.
The hectic touring schedule paired with the regular drug use landed Benga treatment in the intensive unit which ultimately saved him, ‘There’s a lot of stigma around sectioning, as if it’s something you couldn’t possibly do to another person. A lot of people are scared. But it needs to be done'.
Benga hopes his story will raise awareness on the seriousness of mental health and how further damage can be prevented if caught early,
‘I would plead with anybody who sees anything wrong with their mates, their family members, to act on it straight away. That way you can limit the damage that’s done'.
