Catherine Zeta Jones' Bipolar Disorder: What Is Bipolar II?

Catherine Zeta Jones shocked many this week when it was announced the actress was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and sought treatment at a mental health clinic.

Catherine Zeta Jones' publicist said that "after dealing with the stress of the past year," she "made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder."

But what is bipolar II, and how is it different than bipolar I disorder?

The short answer: The "high" moods never reach fully manic episodes. (The low, depressive phases can be very intense.) From: WebMD:

In bipolar II disorder, the "up" moods never reach full-on mania; The less-intense elevated moods in bipolar II disorder are called hypomanic episodes, or hypomania. A person affected by bipolar II disorder has had at least one hypomanic episode in life.

There is an additional variation of the disorder, called Cyclothymic Disorder or Cyclothymia. It's defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as "episodes of hypomania that shift back and forth with mild depression for at least two years."

A recent report showed about 2.4 percent of people around the world have had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at some point in their lifetime; the U.S. has the highest lifetime rate, at 4.4 percent.

Scientists are still researching what causes bipolar disorder, but are looking into several risk factors, including genetics and brain structure. Symptoms usually start developing during the teens or twenties, and nearly always before age 50, reports WebMD.

A Huffington Post reader sent along this tip:

This link gives an educational and personal overview of living with bipolar disorder. It was developed with the hope of reducing the stigma of this mental illness through education. http://livingbipolardisorder.blogspot.com/

Comments

[wilray]

08:48 PM on 04/21/2011

I think about Michael Douglas and "Falling Down." I have dealt enough with what I call the bureaucratic mind. As a person with BPD, I would have a difficult time dealing with the clerks at Whammy Burger. Yet, everywhere I go I see clerks from Whammy Burger. I just want my breakfast.

http://youtu.be/-eREiQhBDIk

[Joseph Burgo PhD]

06:03 AM on 04/19/2011

While I'm glad if these high-profile disclosures reduce the stigma of mental illness, it bothers me that there is so little discussion of the psychological content of the states of mind in bipolar disorder. While other articles have mentioned that the depression and mania in bipolar disorder can be managed with the help of psychotherapy (in addition to the meds), there's no mention of what it MEANS. Calling it a "disorder" and assigning a code number, just like the ICD-9, may help people escape the shame that often comes with mental illness, but at the same time, it eliminates psychological and emotional meaning from their manic-depressive states of mind. It's simply a chemical irregularity or your brain flips a switch ... and never mind that there's no scientific evidence for the chemical imbalance theory of bipolar disorder.

http://www.afterpsychotherapy.com/bipolar-disorder

[democratbob]

05:43 AM on 04/19/2011

My wife suffers from Bi-Polar disorder and even though she does not like the drugs she is taking as a result, even she has to agree with the rest of the family that they have done wonders in evening her swings and making them much less extreme. Drugs aren't the answer for everything, but they can sometimes be a real lifesaver.

[Independent1969]

06:21 PM on 04/18/2011

I notice how the MSM always jumps all over these kinds of stories to help promote pharmaceutical products. You can always find people willing to sell their soul for a few bucks from Big Pharma.

[jenfafa1975]

08:19 PM on 04/18/2011

Yes! Finally someone with a brain. Thank you.

[Independent1969]

05:28 PM on 04/19/2011

Glad someone else notices it too.

[Natalie Guerrier]

06:46 PM on 04/19/2011

Sadly so very true!

Natalie Guerrier
Mental Health Advocate
www.rockpapershutup.com

[JOHNSPEAKS]

10:36 AM on 04/18/2011

Think twice before -You- get involved with the mental health industry because of a lifetime of never ending pain and suffering and experimentation and false hope of real recovery and then -Suicide- to end their suffering? Find the parents or loved one or caregiver of a -Suicide- victim and they will tell -You- that they killed their son or daughter by getting supposed help from these supposed mental health professionals???

[pttango]

03:09 PM on 04/16/2011

Kudos to CDZ for allowing her publisher to release her diagnosis. This will help reduce stigma in contrast to the more extreme cases we often hear about in the press.

I have BP2 with rapid cycling and have been fine on meds for over 6 years. Before meds I had more than 10 years of multiple depressive episodes and occasional hypomanic episodes, maybe one zen-like manic episode.... "We are all one" seemed to be the theme.

Don't all people try to self-medicate? I certainly did. Anything but medication. Why are we so medication resistant? We are willing to take just about anything else that has psychotropic properties without hesitation. Perhaps it has something to do with...

Stigma?

Once I accepted the diagnosis, I became hypomanic again. It's pretty exciting to accept something you have been running from for over a decade! I had it all figured out. Little did I know how hard it would be when I started the medication trial and error stage.

It took about 5 years and one brief voluntary hospitalization to find a cocktail that keeps me stable without annoying side effects. Steady work, regular sleep and exercise, and a more or less healthy diet are key. No drugs, minimal alcohol. It can definitely be a challenge. For example, flying long distance can be a problem as the illness is very time-change-sensitive. Then again, maybe that's what we want on a vacation!

[floater]

09:21 AM on 04/16/2011

If I understand BP2, it sounds like she is having a natural response to her situation. Her husband, much older, having trouble copying with his sons drug conviction, neglects his health and over smokes and maybe drinks and from stress he gets cancer. Her getting depressed over this rates some kind of crazy diagnosis? I think she is just human.

[pickle541]

01:21 PM on 04/16/2011

First of all, no one can diagnose someone from a website, nor can they refute a diagnosis. CJZ is diagnosed bipolar II, and that most likely means that she could have very severe symptoms in response to those normally bad stressors. It's not the problems one has in life, its how a bipolar brain responds and that would be the cause for treatment and/or hospitalization.

I wish her well.

[Independent1969]

06:27 PM on 04/18/2011

Absolutely true. She's going through some scary stuff and these are all normal emotions. It's all just part of the human experience to go through a rollercoaster ride like she is. Nothing crazy about it. I notice the "news" people showing footage of her excited when she won an award then showing her upset when she was surround by the vulture papparazzi. Is this really their proof that she's bipolar? Showing her excited and months later upset? My God, we all can go from happy to upset over 20 times in 1 day.

[Victoria Tiley]

01:44 AM on 04/16/2011

Just thought I'd share that my roommate and I both had bipolar diagnoses at one point. Mine was hypomania with major depressive disorder (now called bipolar II). We both self-medicated for a few years and tried various meds with varying degrees of success. My experience with meds was not so good...I was still depressed and anxious, had daily migraines and gained 50 lbs. The interesting thing is my problem turned out to be a dairy allegry, exacerbated by some environmental triggers such as mercury and lead toxicities, and a bad reaction to a hepatitis vaccination. My roommate turned out to have a severe wheat allergy. We are both on special diets now, and are symptom and medication free. I do take supplements to support my immune system detox and to manage occasional anxiety. I understand that medications help some people, but I wonder how many have undiagnosed food sensitivities or yeast imbalances or heavy metal toxicity? Just relaying our stories, in the hope that they may help someone out there to be cured. Best of luck on your paths to happiness....

[builderman55]

12:45 AM on 04/16/2011

I knew a PhD chemist, brilliant guy with bipolar and ended up being committed to a mental institution because he would not stay on his meds. A horrible affliction.

[DrHonolulu]

07:33 PM on 04/15/2011

If you really want to get a feel for these states, read patient self-reports. Better yet, go to a support group meeting for patients & their families and listen.

[jezebelx1]

01:41 PM on 04/15/2011

I've suffered w/Bi-Polar for 30+yrs. I finally got treatment after attempts of suicide and CRAZY Manice episodes that could have left me dead! I feel strongly for people suffering from Bi-Polar. No one believe's you can be mentally ill if you "look normal" only if they can SEE your problem do they think you have one. I am greatful to have 'some' help thru state facilities as I'm not a movie star and don't have money for 'special treatment'. People that pop off because they dont want to understand Bi-Polar. I WISH they could experience Just One Mixed-Mania episode or feel like killing themselves and act on those feelings because they are not in-control..JUST ONCE. It is FACT there are mental issue's w/people, It's always been that way! There are NO normal people - some are just worse off than others. It's very important to Learn to Accept others as No one is perfect.
Bi-Polar is Very complicated and I guess we wouldn't have it being mentioned about ALOT of famous people if it wasn't REAL. Good luck to all of us that have Bi-Polar - we need it. AND the more your friends and family understand what your going thru if they take the time.. the better it will be on the person suffering from the illness. However, some people just don't care, even if it's their own family suffering. SAD

[sophiemaki]

03:32 PM on 04/15/2011

good luck to you.
i had a friend that was Bi-polar, i have no clue where she is now.
she was treated, went to re-hab.., treated again...she hated the drugs........etc etc.
she was/is beautiful , talented girl
every now and again i will get an email from her..............she tells me how wonderful life is.........go on forever about what she has been doing...she writes music also.
i will call her parents (that is the only nbr i have for her) .they will tell me she is back in re-hab..
i have not heard from her for about 2 years now. i always think her , and hope for her. i know life is tough........
we all go thru ups and downs........
bi-polars........it is much more difficult ........ups
downs are ....dramatic and scary.
You take care of yourself..... peace .

[mydachshund]

01:29 PM on 04/15/2011

After reading some of these comments, it just verifies what I always say:
Crazy people are sane. It's the ones that think they're sane we have to worry about.
I'm Bipolar II, and wasn't diagnosed until I was 37 years old. I self medicated to the point where I had to go through rehab twice, and it was during the second stay that I was diagnosed. I take Lithium and Wellbutrin daily and feel "normal". It's not a pretty sight when I go off my meds, which I've done. All those that think psychiatric illness are just a way for the med companes to make money, you should live in our bodies for just a week and see if you still feel the same way.

[clodandthepebble]

01:38 PM on 04/15/2011

My heart goes out to you. I severe depression and have had for many years and can't imagine anything worse which Bipolar certainly is. You have my compassion.

[mydachshund]

01:46 PM on 04/15/2011

Thank you. My manic episodes are characterized by fits of rage, instead of the "classic" mania. I have pulled knives on people, simply because my brain flipped a switch, then it flips again and I become suicidal. I have what they call "rapid cycling"~I can have 10 or 15 episodes in a day if I'm not medicated. Wake up people, this is a real disease with real casualties. We're not here for pity, but we just want to be understood.

[chrsmd86]

05:11 PM on 04/15/2011

"After reading some of these comments, it just verifies what I always say:
Crazy people are sane. It's the ones that think they're sane we have to worry about."

YES, I'm always saying this! With only 24 years on this earth I'm convinced that this is true! I am completely more afraid of people who are convinced they are sane than those who admit to having problems. I have depression and PTSD and from what I've seen, absolutely NO ONE is "normal". People have a range of neuroses that they are either unaware of or in complete denial of and refuse to admit or take responsibility for. Denial is an unhealthy coping mechanism and problematic too I think we forget.

To be normal to me is to be completley unaware of one's self and ignoring human frailty which would dictate that as fallible beings, we would ALL have problems. The measure of how "intense" they are is the only thing that sets us apart. There is no such thing as normal just as there is no such thing as race. People just use it as a mechanisim to make themselves feel better (i.e. at least I'm not crazy like that person...)

[whiskyworm]

12:51 PM on 04/15/2011

What bothers me about this condition is how patients are told that they have a 'chemical imbalance' in their brain, leaving the patient feeling genetically inferior, or malfunctioned. The reality is that their is not a single test using the scientific method to verify if the patients' brain are indeed suffering from a chemical imbalance. The APA votes on their diseases they catalog in DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental health. Yet, if deemed bipolar, expect seroquel to become your new drug. Oh, Seroquel's leading side effect is an increase in suicidal thoughts. There is a fine line between suicidal and homicidal thoughts, and I am always surprised the drug dealers in the psychiatric industry avoid culpability when their patients 'snap' despite their doctors believing people are safe in public under the influence of their drugs. Virtually every single school shooter is also a psyche med patient. Check 'CCHR' ~ the Citizens Commission for Human Rights, if you find yourself a patient of, and feel a bit abused by the psychiatric institution.

[pickle541]

07:09 PM on 04/15/2011

Suicidality is a symptom of bipolar. If one is taking a med and feeling suicidal, the medicine is not doing it's job, and he should be reevaluated for a different med. People with Bipolar really need meds, and they really need attentive Drs to help them.

Your correlation to school shooters is pretty gross. If your suggesting that people with bipolar should not take the meds because they might go off, that's really irresponsible.

[OkayLady]

09:28 AM on 04/16/2011

"Check 'CCHR' ~ the Citizens Commission for Human Rights, if you find yourself a patient of, and feel a bit abused by the psychiatri­c institutio­n"

Please note: The organization mentioned above is not non a non-partisan, neutral, or scientific organization. The CCHR is funded by the church of Scientology which promotes the views Tom Cruise expounded repeatedly on TV that Psychiatry is evil mind control/eugenics. You can learn all about their religious view points at their museum which i am not kidding you is named "An Industry of Death Museum" located in Hollywood, CA.

Psychiatry is still hit or miss in my opinion and very uneven in my experience in the quality of practitioners, with too many making $150 for a 5 minute appointment to write you another prescription and a "see me in 6 weeks. Next" attitude. However there are drugs that save lives, that make a better quality of life attainable and give you a way out of crisis so you can develop a healthier saner way of living through food, diet, friends, home life that you need to be well and all take time and functionality to achieve.

[susanpavlik]

11:51 AM on 04/15/2011

What an excellent article. It does a good job of describing the "bipolar" we hear so much about. It is also great to see a high profile person say they have the disorder. I lover her work, a fine example of the functionality one can achieve although they have bipolar. And finally, an example of good self care. Bavo! Catherne www.susanpavlikwellnessservices.com

[clodandthepebble]

01:40 PM on 04/15/2011

Yes, it is an excellent article and we do badly need more info out in the public. Depression and bipolar diseases are serious and people need to be aware of them.

[MorrisMcMerritt Bo]

11:21 AM on 04/15/2011

Oh Crap another designer disease that we one way or another will be paid for by the folks.

[thebigbike]

04:28 PM on 04/15/2011

Bipolar I and II are at least in some degree treatable and subject to amelioration ( I should know) but being a total b#tt-h&@d seems to be incurable and untreatable, due to the self inflicted delusion of omniscience and a near pathological lack of empathy..

[MorrisMcMerritt Bo]

04:43 PM on 04/15/2011

Oh I get it now....

[Craig Batty]

05:47 PM on 04/15/2011

Your comment is misguided and shows a complete lack of undestanding and empathy. I hope that you or the people close to you never get a mental illness but a the statistics show that about one person in four will, that will be unlikely.