Mariah Carey has been spotted out and about after sharing her story about her battle with bipolar disorder, hitting the town to celebrate boyfriend Brian Tanaka’s birthday on Wednesday in Beverly Hills.
Carey and Tanaka celebrated the dancer’s 35th birthday at Mastro’s Steakhouse, with paparazzi catching the pair outside the eatery.
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In photos shared by Entertainment Tonight, Carey can be seen sporting a black figure-hugging minidress, which she accessorized with a black leather jacket and black leather peep-toe booties.
Tanaka donned a navy blue varsity-inspired jacket and light wash jeans, carrying a “Happy Birthday” bag as he escorted his girlfriend to their car.
The outing was Carey’s first since revealing her bipolar diagnosis to PEOPLE, with the singer sharing that she was originally diagnosed in 2001.
Carey noted that when she was diagnosed, “I didn’t want to believe it.”
The singer explained that she made the decision to finally seek treatment after “the hardest couple of years I’ve been through,” which have seen the singer go through both professional and romantic ups and downs.
“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” the star said. “It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.”
Carey is now in therapy and taking medication for bipolar II disorder, which involves depressive episodes as well as hypomanic episodes. The hypomania associated with bipolar II is less severe than the mania associated with bipolar I.
“I’m actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good. It’s not making me feel too tired or sluggish or anything like that. Finding the proper balance is what is most important,” Carey revealed.
The mom of two said she decided to share her story because “I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder.”
She added, “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me.”
Photo Credit: Instagram / @mariahcarey
