‘Growing Up With A Bipolar Disorder Mother Was Very Depressing’  – Jarvis Opens Up

Nigerian TikToker, Elizabeth Amadu, popularly known as Jarvis, has opened up about the struggle of growing up with a mother with bipolar disorder and family financial challenges.

Naija News reports that Jarvis, speaking at SPAC Nations Church in London, said living with her mother’s condition made her childhood stressful and, at times, traumatic.

Jarvis also revealed that she grew up without knowing her biological father, stressing that her mother travelled out of Nigeria, became pregnant and returned to the country where she gave birth to her.

She said, “I was already exhausted. Grandpa was sick, and I came into a family through a mother who has bipolar disorder.

“Growing up with her was very stressful and depressing because sometimes the disorder could be extreme.

“Today, she would be nice and good; the next minute, she could become violent, destroy things and insult us. She would say things like, ‘Oh, you stupid child. What are you doing here? Your father is mad.

“I didn’t grow up with my dad because I don’t know who my dad is. So, I don’t know anything about my father. But she would keep saying, ‘Oh, your dad is this, your dad is that.’

“Growing up without a dad was not easy, especially because my mum was not mentally stable.” 

Jarvis also credited her grandparents for giving her the discipline and guidance that helped shape her life.

She stated, “I grew up with my grandma and grandpa, and they did their best to raise me well. They were very educated and strict. That strictness was what tamed me, and I appreciate them because it really helped shape my life.”

Recounting the financial difficulties she and her sister experienced while growing up, Jarvis said there were periods when they struggled to pay their school fees and often went hungry.

The content creator said she was determined not to drop out of school or resort to questionable ways to make money, despite pressure from peers.

According to Jarvis, a friend she met on TikTok eventually introduced her to live streaming as a way of earning money.

She added, “I was like, ‘How?’ So, the first day I tried it with my sister, I had about 200 views and made $5. I was like, ‘Wow!’

“Because we were always hungry, we would go on TikTok and watch food videos just to feel satisfied. We would salivate and, at the end of the day, cry and pray, saying, ‘God, please help us.’

“But when we went live and saw that we had made five dollars, we were happy.”