The highs and lows of a mystery disorder

Catherine Zeta Jones with other famous sufferers of bipolar disorder The recent news that Oscar-winning  actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has  been treated for bipolar disorder has shocked the world. Forty-one year old Zeta-Jones

spent six days in a rehab clinic which  deals with extreme cases of psychological disorder.  From the moment we have the ability to understand,  many of us  are coached  by our parents that good looks coupled with a successful career is our gold card to  life-long happiness. For Zeta-Jones who appears to have it all,  this is not the case. The silver-screen actress renowned tor her beauty,  talent  and marriage to Hollywood star Michael Douglas, is suffering from a mental disease. 

But what does it all mean?   Bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder is a psychiatric term  describing extreme mood swings, where the hghs or elevated moods are clinically referred to as "mania" and the lows as "depressive" episodes.  Bipolar 1, the most common type of the disorder starts occuring in late adolescence or young adulthood, and the diagnosis is usually based on the person's account of their own emotions, as well as observed behaviour.   Episodes of abnormality are expressed through distressed behaviour as well as a risk of suicide, mainly when the person is going through their "lows" or depressive moments.  

Not everyone's symptoms are identical and there is no easy way of assessing the disorder as it can easily be confused with a form of depression or in many cases with schizophrenia.   During a "depressive" period of bipolar disorder, sufferers describe feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, isolation and hopelessness as well as both lack of sleep and loss of appetite. In severe cases the patient can feel suicidal and may become psychotic. The worst episodes can  last up to six months.   The "mania" symptoms of bipolar are characterized by an elevated or euphoric mood  with an excess of energy, inability to sleep, and lack of attention and concentration. The unfortunate consequence of this can lead to a  dependence  on  alcohol, anti-depressants, cocaine or sleeping pills.   

Famous historical figures who were known  to have bipolar disorder  include Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the US;    Ludwig Van Beethoven, the brilliant composer;   Leo Tolstoy, author of "War and Peace" who revealed his own mental illness in his memoir "Confessions".;    Vincent Van Gogh,  Isaac Newton and last but not least , Winston Churchill.   Today,  help is available to sufferers who are bipolar both on a pharmacological and psychotherapeutic level.    No conclusive evidence has revealed  the root cause for this troubling disorder but many more people are coming out into the open and  seeking help and  thus helping to abolish the stigma which has surrounded the disease for many generations.   Is this the begining of an accepting society where it is no longer necessary to conceal  that  everything is okay out there under the spotlight on the  red carpet?