Many Celebrities Have Lived With Various Forms of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, affects men and women equally, with about 5.6 million adult Americans (2.6 percent of the population) diagnosed with the condition — including many famous people.
The erratic behavior of some celebrities with mental illness is often attributed to this condition, since bipolar disorder is characterized by disabling mood shifts during which a person goes from an energetic, manic phase to a low, depressed one.
The mood swings of bipolar disorder may be mild or extreme. They can come on slowly or quickly within hours to days. Usually diagnosed in the teenage years to mid-twenties, bipolar disorder can happen at any age and is more prevalent in those who have a family history of the condition.
There are two common subtypes of bipolar disorder: bipolar I and bipolar II. There are other subtypes, most notably cyclothymia, in which patients have depressive and hypomanic symptoms but don’t meet the full criteria for either a major depressive episode or a hypomanic episode.
With bipolar I disorder, people will experience at least one manic episode in their lifetime, and will likely also experience episodes of major depression. You may alternate between extreme states of depression and intense mania. With the mania, you may be unusually elated, hyperactive, and exceptionally talkative, with no need for rest or sleep for days. You may have irritability, racing thoughts, distractibility, and engagement in impulsive or risky behaviors. People with bipolar I disorder may also experience psychotic symptoms including hallucinations, paranoia, or grandiose delusions. This disorder often results in psychiatric hospitalization, and requires long-term treatment with medication. Once bipolar I begins, it characteristically continues throughout a person’s life.
Bipolar II disorder is not a milder form of bipolar I disorder, but a related diagnosis. With bipolar II disorder, people will have at least one episode of major depression and at least one episode of hypomania, which is similar to mania but with less severe symptoms and shorter duration. While both mania and hypomania exhibit grandiose mood and reduced need for sleep, hypomania is a period of incredible energy, charm, and productivity, which is often associated with super-achievers.
Hypomania may be good for some people, but for many people it is uncomfortable, disruptive, and problematic (though not to the degree of a full manic episode, by definition). Manic and hypomanic episodes have the same set of symptoms, and for both you need to have either irritable or elevated mood and increased energy plus three to four additional symptoms, which can include pressured speech, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, distractability, racing thoughts, increase in goal-directed activity, or risky/impulsive behaviors.
Hypomanic episodes last at least four days and are not severe enough to result in hospitalization or significant functional impairment, and do not have associated psychotic features. Some people do function well during these periods and there is a historical association between bipolar spectrum illnesses and artists; however, many do not do well during hypomania, and then also suffer the major depressive episodes. Both bipolar I and bipolar II disorder require treatment.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown. But several factors may play a role, including:
- Physical changes in the brain Both biochemical and environmental factors play a role in bipolar disorder. Researchers think that imbalances in neurotransmitters, the brain chemicals that regulate mood, may trigger this condition. While the meaning of these brain changes is not known, this discovery may help identify bipolar causes in the future.
- Genetics Experts believe that of all mental health problems, bipolar disorder has the greatest linkage to genes. Bipolar disorder is more common in people who have a first-degree relative, such as a sibling or parent, with the condition.
Risk factors for an episode of bipolar disorder may include having times of high stress, such as the death of a loved one or another traumatic event. Drug and alcohol use are also often associated with bipolar disorder.
Though it's difficult to confirm if famous people have bipolar disorder, this condition crops up more often among artists, singers, poets, and celebrities. Many celebrities with mental illness, both now and in years past, are thought to have had bipolar disorder. Here's a closer look at 13 famous people with bipolar disorder.
Additional reporting by Barbara Kean and Maura Corrigan.
Vivien Leigh Suffered Without Bipolar Medications
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Best known for her iconic Oscar-winning role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, Vivien Leigh also captured the public's attention with her marriage to fellow actor Laurence Olivier. However, Leigh was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and her unpredictable behavior eventually ruined her professional reputation and destroyed her marriage to Olivier.
"In her day there were no pills, there were no clinics, there were no publicists, there was nobody between Vivien and an outside world which she found chilly, hostile, and sometimes, because of her mental state, could not cope with," said her friend Sheridan Morley in a BBC documentary.
Boosted by Hypomania, Carrie Fisher Became a Bestselling Author
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Carrie Fisher's portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy turned her into a pop-culture icon. However, partly due to her tumultuous childhood, she struggled with drug and alcohol addictions. In her early twenties, Fisher was told she was hypomanic, but she didn't believe her doctor.
Over time, however, she came to terms with her condition and became a bestselling author, writing books such as Postcards From the Edge and Surrender the Pink. Becoming a mother was the impetus for this change.
"Prior to having a child, I really did feel, it's my business if I wanted to stop my medications," she told bp Magazine. "I no longer feel that's so."
Jean-Claude Van Damme Experienced Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder
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The Belgian kickboxer Jean-Claude Van Damme has appeared in numerous action films, including Bloodsport, Sudden Death, and Universal Soldier. While his movie career took off, Van Damme's personal life was unraveling. He divorced four times, was charged with spousal abuse, and was addicted to cocaine.
However, things started to come together after his diagnosis of rapid-cycling bipolar. He told E! Online, "You just have to take a little salt [the drug sodium valproate], and since I'm doing that it's, like, BOOM! In one week, I felt it kick in. All the commotion around me, all the water around me, moving left and right around me, became like a lake."
Linda Hamilton Struggled for 20 Years With Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
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Actress Linda Hamilton is best known for her role as Sarah Connor in Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. She also starred in the TV series Beauty and the Beast. Despite her professional success, she was self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, and her bipolar mood swings damaged two marriages.
Hamilton struggled with symptoms of bipolar disorder for 20 years, a time she calls the "lost years." Though she initially worried that treatment would diminish her talents, she is now on medication and speaks openly about being bipolar.
"Somebody needs to come out and make this okay for people to talk about and get help and take advantage of the resources," she told the Associated Press.
Sinéad O'Connor Rebuilt Her Life After a Depression Diagnosis
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The Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor often made headlines in the late 1980s and 1990s with her Grammy-winning songs and rebellious attitude. However, as her fame grew in her twenties, she began to suffer from depression.
O'Connor's depression steadily got worse, including suicidal thoughts, until she was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 37. She talked openly about living with this condition on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007.
"Every pore of you is crying and you don't even understand why or what," she says. "I actually kind of died and got born again as a result of taking the meds and having a chance to, you know, build a life."
Vincent van Gogh Was Fueled by Mood Swings
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The legendary artist Vincent van Gogh painted some of the world's best-known works, such as The Starry Night. However, he is also remembered for his difficult, eccentric, and moody personality.
There is no consensus on what medical condition fueled van Gogh's behavior, though some suspect epilepsy, depression, psychotic attacks, and bipolar disorder.
An published in the American Journal of Psychiatry says: "Van Gogh had earlier suffered two distinct episodes of reactive depression, and there are clearly bipolar aspects to his history. Both episodes of depression were followed by sustained periods of increasingly high energy and enthusiasm, first as an evangelist and then as an artist."
Virginia Woolf Suffered Psychiatric Breakdowns
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The 20th-century English novelist and essayist Virginia Woolf is said to have expanded the boundaries of the novel with works such as Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. She suffered mood swings and breakdowns throughout her life.
An article in the American Journal of Psychiatry explains her behavior: "From the age of 13, Woolf had symptoms that today would be diagnosed as bipolar disorder; she experienced mood swings from severe depression to manic excitement and episodes of psychosis. In her own time, however, psychiatry had little to offer her."
Jane Pauley Supports the Wide Array of Bipolar Treatments
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The television journalist Jane Pauley made her network debut on NBC's Today show at the age of 25. She went on to work for the network's Dateline and later had her own talk show.
At the age of 50, Pauley began experiencing episodes of depression and mania. It is thought that steroids used to treat hives kick-started her symptoms, which were diagnosed as bipolar disorder. She describes her experiences in her bestselling memoir Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue.
"If we're lucky, the next generation won't drag around that personal stigma," she tells bp Magazine. "They also are going to grow up with a wider array of medications that addresses whatever causes this malady of ours."
Mariette Hartley Urges Others to Stay on the Right Bipolar Treatment
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Among famous people with bipolar disorder is the Emmy-winning actress Mariette Hartley, who has appeared in numerous television shows and starred in a popular series of commercials in the 1970s. However, her family life was troubled — she lost both her father and an uncle to suicide, and her mother also attempted to take her own life. In 1994, Hartley started having suicidal thoughts and was misdiagnosed with depression, and later ADD. The third diagnosis — bipolar disorder — was the correct one.
It was difficult for Hartley to speak publicly about her condition, but she decided to take the chance to educate others. In a USA Today article, the actress emphasized the importance of getting the right treatment: "If you are on the right medication … stay on it and don't change. But if it doesn't seem to be working, then go to a doctor and find the right one for you."
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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Bipolar II Disorder
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The Academy Award–winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones first became known to movie audiences in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro. In 2000, she married actor Michael Douglas. The mother of two revealed in April 2011 that she had sought treatment for bipolar II disorder, which is characterized by episodes of hypomania (less severe highs and irritability) alternating with depression.
"After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay," her publicist announced in a statement.
Creed Frontman Scott Stapp Believes in Sobriety
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Creed front man Scott Stapp recently revealed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2017, Stapp made headlines for his alcohol and drug addiction and erratic behavior. "In my delusional thinking, I thought my family was involved in ISIS, and that millions of dollars had been taken from me to support terrorism," he told People magazine. "All of it was nonsense. I was out of my mind."
While in an intensive program in a dual diagnostic facility, Stapp was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. "It was hard to process," he says. "There's a stigma associated with it. But Jaclyn [Stapp's wife] kept telling me, 'Embrace it. We love you.' It became a big sign of relief, because finally, we had an answer."
Now in intensive therapy, Stapp takes medication for his disorder and is also involved in a 12-step program. "Nothing is more important than my sobriety," he told People.
Demi Lovato Lives Well With Bipolar Disorder
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The actress and singer Demi Lovato, born in 1992, learned she had bipolar disorder after a stint in rehab in 2010 to address with depression, an eating disorder, and self-harm. She discussed her diagnosis in a 2011 interview with People magazine. "I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar," she told the magazine. During the interview, Lovato said she had battled depression from a young age.
Recently, the popular songstress talked to HuffPost Live about living with the condition. "I was dealing with bipolar depression and didn't know what was wrong with me. Little did I know, there was a chemical imbalance in my brain," she says. "Because I didn't tell people what I need, I ended up self-medicating and coping with very unhealthy behaviors."
After therapy and treatment, Lovato says she's in a good place. "Now I live well with bipolar disorder," Lovato says. "Happiness is a choice. Life is a roller coaster. You can make the highs as amazing as possible, and you can control how low the lows go."
Mariah Carey Reveals Decades-Long Struggle With Bipolar Disorder
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In a newly published People magazine exclusive, mega pop star Mariah Carey revealed that she's been secretly living with bipolar II disorder for almost two decades. First diagnosed in 2001 after she was hospitalized for a mental and physical breakdown, the platinum-selling singer told People that she "didn't want to believe" the diagnosis, and that she "didn't want to carry around the stigma of a lifelong disease that would define me and potentially end my career ... I was so terrified of losing everything."
But the burden of keeping the diagnosis to herself and constantly living in fear that someone would expose her — as well as a particularly tough two years that included a broken engagement to business mogul James Packer — eventually encouraged the platinum-selling singer to seek treatment and ultimately share her story with the public. She's now in therapy and taking medication for bipolar II disorder, which involves swings in mood between depression and hypermania, but isn't as severe as bipolar I disorder.
Already with 18 No. 1 hits under her belt, Carey said she is currently in a "really good place" and surrounding herself with positive people, including her 6-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, and doing more of what she loves: writing songs and making music. "I'm hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating," she told the magazine.