Catherine Zeta-Jones revealed she has Bipolar II Disorder when she checked into a mental health facility for treatment of the psychological condition on Thursday.
Zeta Jones publicist announced in a statement on Wednesday, After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine has made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder.
The Oscar-winning actress has indeed endured much stress, which is often a contributing factor to the mental condition. Her husband, Michael Douglas, was diagnosed with stage four throat cancer last year. Although his cancer is in remission now, Zeta-Jones has also endured other stressors, like her son being sentenced to five year in prison from drug charges.
Experts say stress is a major trigger for Bipolar II disorder, but that other preexisting causes contribute to its occurrence.
Zeta-Jones revelation has helped spread awareness about bipolar disorder, which affects about 2.5 percent of the U.S population, or about 6 million people.
Bipolar II disorder is similar to Bipolar I, where moods cycle between high and low over time, according to WebMD.
The difference in Bipolar II is that the up moods do not reach full-on mania, and are called hypomanic episodes. During such incidents, elevated moods may be experienced as euphoric or irritable. A person might speed from one idea to the next, talk quickly and loudly, and have increased energy. They might be considered the life of the party during such episodes.
The problem with those heightened moods is that people can be led to make impulsive mistakes such as spending money they dont have.
The disorder also causes depressive episodes, leading to lowered energy and mood.
