Catherine Zeta-Jones treated for Bipolar II disorder

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Catherine Zeta-Jones, who has been by husband Michael Douglas's side during his cancer fight, has sought mental health treatment for herself, her rep says.

"After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II disorder," the rep says in a statement. "She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films."

Zeta-Jones, 41, spent about five days in the unidentified facility, a friend tells PEOPLE.

Bipolar disorder, a mental illness marked by elevated or irritable moods alternating with periods of depression, afflicts about 6 million Americans. Those with Bipolar II tend to have more depression, with the mood swings spread over a longer time and the "up" periods less elevated. The episodes can be triggered by major stress or life changes.

"There's no question it's been a stressful year," the friend says. "Catherine has had deal with Michael's illness and that's been hard. She went in for a few days because she's about to start working, and wanted to make sure she's in top form, which she is."

Douglas, 66, announced in January he was declared free of cancer after what he called a "wild six-month ride" of chemotherapy and radiation for a tumor on his tongue.

"The hardest part is seeing his fatigue, because Michael is never tired," Zeta-Jones told PEOPLE last year when Douglas was in the midst of his cancer battle.

She said Douglas told their children Dylan, 10, and Carys, 7, the difficult news himself: "Daddy sat them down and told them he has cancer now."
 
I admire the way she's released a statement about having sought professional help, I hope it inspires other people to realise that getting assistance is a natural part of the process of staying healthy.
 
Im glad that she is doing something about it. Many people choose to ignore symptoms of mental illnesses. I know its even harder being in the spotlight. Off topic, but I have always thought she is such an underrated beauty in Hollywood.
 
Bipolar II disorder is a bipolar spectrum disorder characterized by at least one hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode; with this disorder, depressive episodes are more frequent and more intense than manic episodes. It is believed to be under-diagnosed because hypomanic behavior often presents as incredibly high-functioning behavior. Those with Bipolar II are at highest risk of suicide among the bipolar spectrum. Hypomania in Bipolar II may manifest itself in disorganized racing thoughts, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, or all of the above combined. This makes it very difficult to distinguish from depression, since hypomania is often regarded as an elation of mood, however, the reverse is often true in those with bipolar II. Moods that oscillate in the depressive spectrum is common, and very rarely does one with bipolar II experience hypomanic euphoria, if at all. Indeed, to a physician or psychologist specializing in mood disorders, highly confident ambition might appear to be symptomatic of hypomania only if that individual's goals are viewed as unrealistic.
 
I hope she's okay. She's been through a lot of stress the past year.
I felt so bad for her whenever I saw stupid tabloids with titles like, "Michael's Last Days" during the time he was fighting cancer.
It really disgusted me. I can't even imagine how she handled that.
 
I admire the way she's released a statement about having sought professional help, I hope it inspires other people to realise that getting assistance is a natural part of the process of staying healthy.

That's true, but for serious mental health issues the main problem, and one of the main symptoms, is that the person who is ill doesn't have any idea that they are ill, and hence can't get help for themselves.
 
^ that's true, but hopefully it can make family/friends realise it's OK to get help, I've come across one or two people with obviously mentally ill family members who won't get help because 'they'll get over it, they're just having a bad week/year/lifetime'. I think celebrities showing that they are getting help for a mental illness publicly, kind of removes the stigma for it, that it's something to be kept hidden.
 
That's more a case of someone too young to know, making a glib comment on the subject of menopause, yet old enough to know better than to make light of mental illness.
 
That's true, but for serious mental health issues the main problem, and one of the main symptoms, is that the person who is ill doesn't have any idea that they are ill, and hence can't get help for themselves.
When you're bipolar you know the signs, and you are aware that you are ill. I seriously doubt that this is her first episode, so she knows.

Of course you won't be admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of menopause, I mean wtf. That was quite dumb.
 
There's a feature in the new issue of People about the news (dailymail.co.uk / people.com:(

'There is no need to suffer silently': Catherine Zeta-Jones opens up about her bipolar disorder

Catherine Zeta-Jones is hoping her admission that she has bipolar disorder will encourage others to seek treatment.

The 41-year-old actress tells People magazine: 'There is no shame in seeking help.

'This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them,' she adds in a statement. 'If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it.'

A close friend of the couple tells People that Catherine realised she needed help as she prepared to shoot her new movie Playing The Field in Louisiana.

'The simple things would just seem overwhelming, like going out to dinner,' says the friend.

'There was just a little piece of her chipped away. It was hard to watch because I knew how hard she was trying.'

Bipolar II disorder is a mental illness which is marked by prolonged periods of depression alternating with episodes of mild mania.
 

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^ That's a pretty insensitive thing to say!

We all have days when we are nice and other days when we are snappy. Especially as simply a celebrity with an interior/private life that we do not know - who are we to say that she's "just a b*tch"?

In any case, bravo to her for being so open about seeking help and using it to encourage others and to decrease the stigma attached to mental illnesses. I hope she gets well soon and things become less stressful for her.
 
what is Bipolar II disorder? i know what is Bipolar, but what is this II???

anyway, i am glad she spoke up, hope she will be okay. it could be thread with medications, right?
 
^
Bipolar disorders are generally divided into two classes. I and II.
Bipolar II patients are prone to depression and hypomania,
Bipolar I patients are more prone to full blown mania.
Typically Bipolar is treated via long-term medication, but there are holistic treatments as well. Fish Oil helps a lot, for what it's worth.
 
Actually theirs 3 type of bipolar disorder ,the ones said above and Cyclothymia which is hypomania and mild depression. It's a milder form of bipolar disorder.

Welcome to the club Catherine :flower:

I'm happy she's dealing with it. Believe me its not easy.
 
Word. Cyclothymia/Dysthymia.
I wasn't aware that that was being referred to as type three though. There's always new research coming out about Bipolar disorders, it's either sad or inspiring, depending on how I feel that day.
 
Actually, I suffer from bipolar disorder and I was really glad that Zeta-Jones made this announcement. To be precise, I was diagnosed with semi-Asperger slash bipolar disorder.

I just wanted to wish CZJ all the best, 'cause I know how hard is this season of the year.
 
It's hard to come to terms with, I was diagnosed in my late teens, and I think it affected my self-identity in a big way. I tell people about it IRL on a need-to-know basis. My boss, obviously needs to know, so that I am protected by mental health related HR guidelines when it comes to missing work to see my Doctor and stuff.
 

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