Jax Taylor knew there was "something wrong" with him years before his bipolar disorder diagnosis.

The 45-year-old reality star has revealed that he relied on drugs and alcohol to "shut [his] brain off", before he was diagnosed with the mental health condition.

He said on 'In the Mind of Jax Taylor': "I never got checked. Did I know I had something wrong with me for years? Absolutely."

Jax attended rehab in 2024 and that's when his mental health issues came to the fore.

The former 'Vanderpump Rules' star - who has Cruz, four, with his estranged wife Brittany Cartwright - shared: "I'm like, 'Something is f****** wrong with me. Something is wrong. I'm flying off the handle. I'm angry. I'm easily triggered.'

"I'm happy one minute. I'm sad the next minute. And there's absolutely no reason to be this way because on paper, I have it all. Home, cars, toys, healthy child, healthy wife."

Although Jax has battled problems with drugs and alcohol, he actually considers his "ego" to have been an even bigger issue.

The reality star said: "It was really, really bad, man.

"My ego got in the way of me ... Drugs and alcohol were a problem, but they weren't the problem. I used drugs and alcohol to mask all my problems. Validation, insecurity, ego, manipulation, narcissism, all these things that people told me, anger issues ... my family issues."

In April, Jax suggested that an earlier diagnosis could've saved his marriage.

The TV star was diagnosed with the mental health condition in September - but by then, his marriage to Brittany had already fallen apart.

He said on 'In the Mind of Jax Taylor': "This is the first time in my 45 years of life that I had to ask for help because I just couldn't do it anymore. I just, I couldn't bear the weight. And I just - I surrendered. I surrendered."

Jax has been using a mood stabiliser called Lamotrigine over recent months, and it's actually changed his life.

He explained: "I'm on it, and I absolutely love it."

Jax now regrets that he didn't start using Lamotrigine even sooner.

He said: "I never miss a day, and it's literally changed my life. I wish I would've took it sooner. Probably would've saved my marriage."