Just weeks ago, Catherine Zeta-Jones was at Buckingham Palace being recognized for her contribution to charity work and services to the film industry.
It was then that the 41-year-old Oscar-winning actress hinted at the strain she was under when asked for advice for Prince William and Kate Middleton on their upcoming nuptials.
"Through thick or thin I guess is the only advice and last past year has tested us on many levels," she said.
It's now transparent that it wasn't helping her husband, Michael Douglas, through his battle against throat cancer, but her own mental illness.
Her publicist revealed the actress had checked into a psychiatric hospital for treatment of bipolar disorder type II.
Dr. Mark Zimmerman of Rhode Island Hospital says bipolar disorder type II is the milder version of the mental illness.
"When someone has bipolar II disorder and they're hyper energetic and hyperactive that would be the type of person you might want to clean your house for a couple of days but when they're bipolar one disorder, it'll just be chaos. It'll be like a tornado hit the house," he said.
Most people with bipolar disorder type II don't often seek treatment until they're suffering from a depressive episode. And then it's not always clear that person has bipolar disorder type II.
"Because it's often perceived as a desirable state, individuals won't spontaneously report these episodes in the past, so you have to make specific inquiries for it," Zimmerman said.
And while those with bipolar disorder type I and bipolar disorder type II are prescribed similar treatments, it's important to distinguish between the two to better individualize the treatment.
Zimmerman said bipolar II disorder is over diagnosed, misdiagnosed and sometimes under diagnosed.
He said it's important for doctors to take a close look at a person's history. Family members are a good source since they usually notice bouts of hypomania before the person does.
Characteristics of hypomania include flying from one idea to the next ad increased energy with hyperactivity with a decreased need for sleep.
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