Seems a bit of a strange one to diagnose under those circumstances.

Or am I just being cynical?

How come you think it’s strange?

Has she got a new film coming out, or something?

She peaked with Darling Buds of May if you ask me.

I could understand someone being depressed given the circumstances, but given her age I’d have expected bipolar to have showed up previously.

Is diagnosis not dependent on repeated periods of severe depression?

Bi-winning.

tend to think the bi-polar thing is a little over used,
i heard its manic depression brought on by stress,
i suppose a lot of folk can suffer a breakdown of some sorts if your other half is or has been ill?
Quite brave i think if its genuine.

but given her age I’d have expected bipolar to have showed up previously.

Not necessarily, why, where or how would it show up? Didn’t she just check in to a clinic due to the stress and no diagnosis has been given, except in the headlines.

Sounds like the Hollywood version of ‘Leave me alone for a bit, Eh?’ to me.

…although I’m sure she’ll be the poster girl for bi-polar disease, with perfect make-up and hair, telling various chat show hosts how difficult it is to be bi-polar while being paid loads for it, rather than appearing in Chat or Ok magazine having worn the same clothes for two weeks….

According to he publicist “She’s feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films.”

Hmmmm.

Must be a miracle cure centre that she went to. Is she a scientologist?

Ah now I see what it is, it’s another Smee trolling thread.

Drac – I would never troll about mental illness. I may be many things but that is not me.

i think theres a family history too- Ma larkin was a manic depressive i recall.

Or alternatively you could say she’s normal for swansea!

no offence jacks but youre all a bit barking.

Ok apologies then.

Right it’s the first the press has heard of it or at least been able to comment on it, what’s to say privately she’s not has had depression for along time. Also her husband being diagnosed with throat cancer on top of that could possibly trigger it.

Bi-Polar is a condition that can be triggered quickly due to a life changing event such as a critical illness of a close relative. It’s also something that people can go with for years without knowing.

Must be a miracle cure centre that she went to. Is she a scientologist?

Or maybe they have thinking in a good frame of mind as it’s fair to say that Bi-polar may not cured but people learnt to live with it.

tend to think the bi-polar thing is a little over used,

+1. Proper Bipolar disorder is a very serious and debilitating mental illness, and not something you can just develop suddenly, like catching a cold. Signs of mental illness would show up beforehand. Sudden illness brought on by a very stressful or traumatic event would more likely be PTSD, no?

My understanding is that what is considered ‘bipolar’ by mental health professionals is an extreme manifestation of a condition of Manic Depression. The information about CZJ doesn’t actually say she has been diagnosed with BPD, just that she has sought help for the condition, and received some form of treatment.

So we don’t really know what is wrong with her, other than what the often sensationalist media has reported. Could just be that she’s bin treated for depression, which is far more likely I’d say. Bipolar has such greater cachet, though…

Whilst I think it is encouraging and positive that mental health issues are increasingly dealt with with sensitivity and consideration in society, I also think it can be dangerous to label people according to their general condition, as each case is unique.

” triggered quickly due to a life changing event such as a critical illness of a close relative. “

Indeed it can, no matter how famous or wealthy.

+1. Proper Bipolar disorder is a very serious and debilitating mental illness, and not something you can just develop suddenly, like catching a cold.

Really?

http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/bipolar_disorder_manic_depression

Drac; that info is a little misleading, as many people will experience some, if not all symptoms at some stage in their lives, yet otherwise be quite mentally healthy. With BPD, we’re talking about extreme levels of mania and depression. Not just feeling a bit fraught after a stressful period. Sufferers will almost always have had a history of mental illness involving manic depressive episodes throughout much of their lives.

I’m talking about what mental health professionals would consider BPD, not a newspaper

I’m not saying CZJ doesn’t suffer from this condition, just that we should be wary of a sensationalist media desperate for exciting headlines.

I think you should do some more reading up on it before you bother posting anything other than your own beliefs on mental illness.

Oh I should, should I?

Right, ok.

Elfinsaftey – do some research mate, bi-polar disorder is a spectrum disorder with 3 classifications 1, 2 and 3 and outside that there is cyclothymia. You do not need extreme mania to be diagnosed, only hypo-mania and repeated episodes of depression. Also BPD stands for Borderline Personality Disorder and not Bi-polar 😆

Wow, some cracking internet doctoring here, and some cracking media nonsense. WGAF, why doesn’t everyone just get the hell on with their own lives and stop caring whether bob has X or gill has Y? Nothing to see here, move on.

I haven’t read a lot of the responses, and I was also very cynical when no heard this am I thought “mmmmm she must have a film coming out”. Turns out it is national depression week and also anyone trying to publicize mental illness is good in my book.

Bollocks can’t be bothered getting involved in pointless arguments.

My point is; if you have a sniffle, it doesn’t mean you have pneumonia, as it’s more likely you have a slight cold. If you are suffering from a temporary depressive episode, it doesn’t necessarily mean you suffer from Bipolar disorder. Does that make more sense?

I think it’s dangerous and counterproductive for people to over or under-exaggerate the seriousness of a condition. The mental health professionals I’ve encountered don’t use the term Bipolar Disorder lightly. They will not produce a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder unless they consider it absolutely necessary in regard of any treatment of a patient.

That better?

Not making comment on this case, but there is a ‘fashion’ in the states for people to be given the diagnosis of bipolar over other mental illnesses, as well as labelling people with BPD/EUPD (which, from how she functions, I don’t believe Zeta-Jones has actually) as bipolar, simply because it attracts a much bigger fee from insurance payments.

This is one big concern about changing NHS payment structure (for secondary care) to ‘payment by results’ those with ‘higher costs’ will, possibly, carry favour as a diagnosis….

DrP

Dealing with cynicism is par for the course of anyone diagnosed with mental illness, or just struggling a bit. As has been clearly demonstrated 😉
It’s just one more thing to cope with.

I do often wish I had a physical disability instead, like missing legs or something. At least then we can get past the sneering cynicism and straight into the awkward silences, patronisation or plain old discrimination. 🙂

Fwiw any mention of any mental illness afflicting anyone by the media is a good thing.

Fwiw any mention of any mental illness afflicting anyone by the media is a good thing.

Of course. And it’s great that such things don’t carry the taboo and social stigma they once did.

I think DrP makes fair comment. Sort of what I was getting at. Sorry for not being clear enough.

I disagree that any mention of any mental illness afflicting anyone by the media is a good thing. This is on the basis that “Fred Soap has Schizophrenia, manages it well and you would never know he had the condition” is a far less appealing headline than ” Joe Flintstone: Schizophrenic Axe Murderer”.

And there is a danger that, cos Celebrity X has a particular condition, then suddenly loads more people ‘discover’ that they also suffer from it. Almost as though it suddenly becomes ‘trendy’. Information on such issues is important, but there is a danger that incorrect diagnosis and treatment can happen, which helps no-one.

Meanwhile, other, just as serious conditions could go ignored and untreated.

Elfin your follow up posts make mire sense as your not now saying you can’t have
it come on suddenly. Which is the point I was getting at if course it can.

She’s had alot of stress with her husbands illness its hardly suprising she’s stressed and depressed. She could have had lapses before that just haven’t been publisised I guess? I only know one person with Bi-Polar and they have manic highs as well as the lows.

I really feel for her, depression is a hard enough thing to ‘deal’ with for everyone not just the person diagnosed hope she starts to feel ‘less foggy’ soon.

Type 2 BPD according to the broadsheets today – manic phases not as extreme as type 1.
Info provided by her publicist Cece IIRC.

Details were in either the Guardian or Telegraph, can’t remember which as I’ve read both today and passed them on.

No, you misunderstand.

You can develop symptoms very quickly, but the ‘illness’ will be present already. You don’t just suddenly go from being perfectly healthy, to having Bipolar Disorder all of a sudden.

From your link:

Very little is known about the causes of bipolar disorder, although it does run in families, suggesting a genetic link. Some people, however, have no family history of it. During pregnancy, the effects of the mother’s nutrition and mental and physical health on the developing foetus are also seen as important factors.

The fact that symptoms can be controlled by medication, especially lithium and anticonvulsants, suggests that there may be problems with the function of the nerves in the brain, and this is supported by some research. Disturbances in the endocrine system (controlling hormones) may also be involved.

Most research suggests that a stressful environment, social factors, or physical illness may trigger the condition. Stress (in a variety of forms) seems to be the most significant trigger, and sleep disturbance is an important contributor.

This suggests that Bipolar Disorder is far from something that just comes on suddenly. It’s always there, in the background. Likewise, sadly, it’s not something that can be easily treated, if at all.

I actually don’t want to argue with folk on this; it’s just that I do think that people should understand the facts rather than the myths.There is far too much mis-information surrounding mental illness, and this can lead to mis-understanding which can be very detrimental to those who suffer.

No I didn’t you just forgot about my post up there where I mentioned that already.

Cynic in me says: Perhaps it’s the facade of “rehab” for a bit. Guilt, redemption, making yourself a better person – is all that it takes to get you in a better “light” on the Hollywood casting couch. She is at an age where she isn’t gonna get the beautiful young lead role anymore… CV needs a bit of Deep Meaning and Soul to play the older parts?

maybe she’s sensitive, just can’t hack it, and is going a bit nuts and hitting the coke and booze too much and falling into a black hole, needs help? She is a human being after all.

My history is that I have had a formal diagnosis of Bi-polar 2 disorder for 5 or so years.

I was 40 when I was diagnosed following a major depressive episode 18 or so months earlier that did not respond well to numerous interventions with various anti-depressants. Chronic work stress was probably the root cause of my breakdown, but who knows for sure.

My pDoc diagnosed me at the end of a 2 hour assessment based on my then recent history. As far as I know I had no symptoms or episodes prior to that, or if I did they were mild and sub-clinical.

I struggled or refused to accept my diagnoses for a couple of years, and am still not completely convinced that the diagnosis is the correct one, although I accept it is not pure Depression, nor PTSD, etc etc.

So based on my history it would appear that it can develop late in life, but this looks rare from what I have read, and can be brought on by stressful events (post natal Mania is very common in bi-polar women). Also some pDocs are not reticent about diagnosing the illness, my pDoc has never waivered from his initial diagnosis irrespective of how I present at my 2 monthly reviews.

However, I can not help but think, that bi-polar is the fashionable mental health illness “du jour”. People seem to have more empathy for its suffers than for those people diagnosed with common garden Depression and Anxiety. After all it is a “severe illness”, no one could say MTFU to someone in a manic phase, yet it is without the fear and mis-understanding that surrounds schizophrenia.

Call me a sceptic but A list celebrities always seem to be bi-polar whereas if you are an England Cricketer then bog standard Depression will do just fine 😆

mania is associated with some entertainers and artistic types throughout history so it may not harm you career as much then again it may just be true. How the hell can I make an internet diagnosis based on near zero information.

Fwiw any mention of any mental illness afflicting anyone by the media is a good thing.

Can’t agree, there’s a tendency to guess about things, the media are not very good at relating the truth/facts and like to make story. People with mental health issues don’t need the media on their side, they just need to be accepted and helped. Any publicity is not necessarily good publicity.

I don’t know Catherine Z-J so can’t comment on her diagnosis.
But I do feel that, particularly in the States, there is an overwillingness to diagnose bipolar disorder amoungst highly functioning people.
It’s unhelpful and stigmatizing in particular for the young who may be going through developmental or situational crisis from which they’d emerge without psychiatric intervention. Often the diagnosis is followed by the prescribing of powerful atypical antipsychotic medication as a mood stabiliser. These have significant sideeffects; often reducing the patient’s lifespan.