Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has recently made public her battles with bipolar disorder, in a bid to help fellow sufferers, and combat the public “stigma” attached to mental illness.
The 46-year-old, currently promoting her forthcoming film, Dad’s Army, admits she has battled bipolar disorder for years, after first being diagnosed with the condition back in 2011.
Zeta-Jones has spoken up of her difficulties managing her condition whilst supporting husband, Michael Douglas, through his recent struggles with Stage Four throat cancer.
Speaking of her strength in the face of bipolar, Zeta-Jones has said: “Finding out that it was called something was the best thing that ever happened to me!”
She urged those who struggle with their emotions to seek out professional advice, regardless of their circumstances.
The actress added: “The fact that there was a name for my emotions and that a professional could talk me through my symptoms was very liberating. There are amazing highs and very low lows.
“My goal is to be consistently in the middle. I’m in a very good place right now.”
“A lot of that is to do with the fact that I’m much more knowledgeable about what I call my pain in the ass!”
The actress has spoken out mental health before, keen to combat the public “stigma” surrounding mental illness in modern day society.
Zeta-Jones has urged fellow bipolar sufferers who struggle with their symptoms to “seek help with all that is available to treat” the illness.
The actress has said: “I’m not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops but, with my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow sufferers will know that it (the condition) is completely controllable”.