Sometimes we forget that all celebrities are just as human as us. In fact some of them suffer from very serious mental disorders behind the cameras that make their personal lives a lot harder than the lives you see them act on-screen. Bipolar disorder is a disorder that has you feeling very high and happy one moment and depressive another. It’s a serious condition that requires counselling, a strong mind and the right people around you. Here are five famous celebrities who have suffered or who are currently suffering with bipolar.
Demi Lovato
The popular actress and singer, Demi Lovato, 23, learned during her time in rehab that she suffered from Bipolar. Lovato went to rehab in 2010 after dealing with depression, an eating disorder and self-harm. She described her disorder in a 2011 interview with People Magazine “I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar. I was dealing with bipolar depression and didn’t know what was wrong with me. Little did I know, there was a chemical imbalance in my brain,” she says. “Because I didn’t tell people what I need, I ended up self-medicating and coping with very unhealthy behaviors.” After therapy and treatment, Lovato says she’s in a good place and says “Now I live well with bipolar disorder”
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Academy Award-Winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones first became popular in cinema in 1998 in the film, The Mask Of Zorro. In 2011, she sought treatment for bipolar II disorder which is a specific type of bipolar in which sufferers experience hypomania which is less severe highs and irritability than full-blown bipolar.
Carrie Fisher
The world-famous Princess Leia from the original Star Wars Trilogy was a pop-culture icon in the 80s. However, during her early 20s, she was told she had hypomania but didn’t take it seriously. However, as she got older it got harder to deny it and she actually went on to write award-winning books about it.
She says the arrival of her children was a real wake-up call that caused her to get something done about it.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Belgian kickboxer and action-film star Jean-Claude Van Damme may be more famous now for his adverts for Coors Light. Early on, as Van Damme’s movie career took off, his personal life went through many troubles Divorced four times, charged with spousal abuse and addicted to cocaine, he found it hard.
However, after being diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar, he found himself sorting himself out. He got the right medication and began to get his life back on track once again.
Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is one of the more outspoken celebrities about his bipolar disorder. He has mentioned that he’s lucky enough to have a more mild form of the condition but has also stated that it has made his personal relationships hard to keep. It also was the reason for his bad behavior as a boy he says.
