A few weeks ago I noted that a few weeklies were beginning to publicly question Jim Carrey’s sanity and general mental health. Several issues ago, Star Magazine did a lengthy piece about Jim going off of his medication (for either depression or manic depression), and how his “crazy highs and ugly lows” were the biggest reason for his split with Jenny McCarthy. I noticed that People Magazine even seemed to be getting in on it, by carefully quoting Jim’s denial that he was going crazy, then asking if his manic tweets revealed something about his mental health.

Now PopEater is running a similar piece, only this time they’re noting Jim’s current manic-tweet situation. I just had a look at Jim’s Twitter, and this stuff is not good. Here’s a sample:

[From Jim Carrey’s Twitter]

About seven hours ago (roughly 12:30 a.m. in LA), Jim literally sent the message “BOING” out to about 50 people. Insane? Sigh. Here’s more from PopEater:

If you’ve been wondering what’s been on Jim Carrey’s mind since his recent split with Jenny McCarthy, the answer to that is “Boing.”

Since April 24, Carrey has been tweeting the word up to 40 times day, using it to mean, well, just about anything. “I RRRefuse 2 define BOING!,” he wrote on Tuesday. “1 day when you’ve given up your need 2 explain it and file it neatly away, ‘BOING’… you will understand! }=^P”

The erratic tweets are a red flag for some fans of the actor, who is said to have battled depression and was the subject of a highly unflattering 2007 Radar magazine cover story about his behavior on the set of ‘Number 23.’ (Although as a hatchet job, the article falls short: Most of Carrey’s co-workers who are quoted seem to have a great deal of respect for him.)

All in all, it’s been a bumpy month for the comic genius, who famously took to Twitter on April 6 to announce his break-up with longtime partner McCarthy. Adding to the confusion is the fate of his next feature film, ‘I Love You Phillip Morris,’ which was supposed to have been released this Friday.

Earlier this month, it was shelved, seemingly permanently, only to be put back on the slate for July 30. The film, based on the true story of a con-man who turns away from his wife and Christianity to become a gay man with a partner (played by Ewan McGregor), whom he meets in prison, apparently spooked the studio with its controversial subject matter.

Carrey has also stepped out in public recently with cameos on ‘American Idol Gives Back’ and Conan O’Brien’s Los Angeles live comedy show — where he sang a duet of Five For Fighting’s ‘Superman (It’s Not Easy)’ dressed as the caped Kryptonian.

So what is the current mental state of the Canadian-born comic, and do we need to be worried? As Carrey himself would say: “Boing!”

[From PopEater]

Some would say that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. Some would say that there’s a fine line between humor and pain. I think Jim has crossed both those thresholds – he is insane, and it is painful to watch, not funny. But what really bothers me about this is that except for the odd, carefully-worded article here and there (you can count them on one hand), most people are acting like Jim is just “acting crazy” or just being himself. But then I think… “What can people really do?” Force him back on his meds? Force him to seek treatment? Who really has the power or authority to do that?