Catherine Zeta-Jones Not the Only Celebrity to Be Treated for Bipolar Disorder

COMMENTARY | Hollywood has been rocked by a variety of recent deaths and crazy outbursts. Catherine Zeta-Jones hardly grabs headlines for anything other than a positive light. It was reported Wednesday, though, that the acclaimed actress sought treatment for bipolar disorder. This revelation surprised many.

Zeta-Jones' publicist made a statement Wednesday about the actress' mental illness. Her publicist Cece Yorke stated, "After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder."

In August 2010, Jones' husband, actor Michael Douglas, was diagnosed with throat cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation to treat his cancer. On Jan. 11, 2011, the actor reported being cancer-free. "The odds are, with the tumor gone and what I know about this particular type of cancer, that I've got it beat," Douglas told AOL News.

A friend of Zeta-Jones told People magazine, "Catherine has had to deal with Micheal's illness and that's been hard. She went in for a few days because she's about to start working, and wanted to make sure she's in top form, which she is."

In the United States, 2 to 3 percent of the population is affected by this mental illness, so Zeta-Jones is not alone. She shows that with proper management patients can lead full, productive and successful lives. She is also not the only celebrity to publicly battle this disorder.

Patty Duke is another celebrity battling bipolar disorder. She is very public about her battle and has been since her diagnosis in her 30s.

"Once my diagnosis was made and confirmed and accepted by me, the medication was begun in my case lithium. It worked" says Patty Duke. Duke does not keep it a secret. She travels around and speaks out about this mental illness and considers it her life's work to talk openly about her battle and create awareness.

Carrie Fisher was known for her role as Princess Leia, but no one knew that the darkness was closing in on her in her real life as well. Unlike Duke, Fisher did not embrace her illness; she was in denial.

"When I was about 24, I had a doctor tell me I was hypomanic," says Fisher. "He said I should go on Lithium. I didn't believe him. I thought he was trying to get rid of me." For another four years, she went on living with her manic depression. She was diagnosed at around 28 after an overdose.

Popular rapper DMX was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during his teenage years. Many blame this disorder for the fact that he spent a great deal of his younger life in and out of jail. The rapper is more private about his mental illness, though his music openly addresses it.

An interviewer reports that DMX said, when asked about his illness, "way too personal," though he did go on to crack jokes.