Mariah Carey was seemingly in high spirits on Tuesday night as she stepped out with boyfriend Bryan Tanaka for his birthday — her first appearance in public since opening up exclusively to PEOPLE about her battle with bipolar disorder.
The couple rang in Tanaka’s 35th birthday with a dinner at Mastro’s Steak House in Beverly Hills. She smiled as she walked into the bash hand-in-hand with Tanaka, who carried a gigantic gift bag.
The songstress kept her ensemble simple, sporting a black mini dress, leather jacket and booties.
Although she was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001 (when she was hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown), “I didn’t want to believe it,” the superstar singer-songwriter told PEOPLE editor in chief Jess Cagle in this week’s cover story.
Carey said she finally sought treatment recently after “the hardest couple of years I’ve been through” — years of professional upheaval, an E! reality show and romantic drama.
“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” she 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.”
However, Carey told PEOPLE she’s now in a good place.
“I’m actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good,” she said of treating bipolar II, a disorder that involves periods of depression as well as hypomania (less severe than the mania associated with bipolar I, but can still cause irritability, sleeplessness and hyperactivity).
And she said that she now approaches her treatment holistically. “I have access to great medical care. I’m exercising, getting acupuncture, eating healthy, spending quality time with my kids (Morrocan and Monroe, 6, with ex Nick Cannon) and doing what I love, which is writing songs and making music.”
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