OMG, even perfect Catherine Zeta-Jones has trouble coping. According to her rep, she checked herself into a mental-health facility to deal with bipolar II disorder and spent about five days in the hospital.
The last year has been an exceedingly stressful one for Zeta-Jones, who helped her husband Michael Douglas battle throat cancer. She also had to help him deal with his son Camerons prison sentence on drug charges and his ex-wife, who wants half his take from the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
Zeta-Jones chose Silver Hill in Connecticut , a well-known rehab center for drug and alcohol addiction. A source says, "Catherine had a lot of trouble coping. She was chain smoking and drinking. It's been the most difficult year of her life. She's been through hell! The pressure has been almost unbearable. Catherine was friendly to everyone and seemed very down to earth. She ate all of her meals in the dining room with the others and even played poker with them at night before bed. Catherine seemed very animated, laughing and talking to other patients as they walked.
Other celebrities who have battled bipolar disorder are Carrie Fisher, Linda Hamilton, Mel Gibson, Russell Brand and Britney Spears.
Bipolar disorder is marked by elevated or irritable moods alternating with periods of depression. The mental illness afflicts about 6 million Americans. Bipolar I is the more serious form of the disorder, alternating episodes of mania (staying up for days, for examples) followed by major depressive episodes. 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. Bipolar disorder may also have a genetic factor.
Zeta-Jones is slated to soon start working on a new film.
