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Sparkle (2)
So as you may have heard, the stunning, successful, and talented Catherine Zeta Jones voluntarily checked herself into a mental health facility last week for treatment of bipolar II disorder. CZJ. I had a visceral reaction when I heard the news.
Like so many, I used to take news of others' mental illness with a grain of salt. Neither here nor there. But no longer an innocent to the ways of mood disorders I literally sat down on my couch to take a second and wish her a speedy recovery because I felt like I had just learned that this woman, who I don't know, who I've never met, and who I have virtually nothing in common with was in some way my soul sister.
Image: ZumaPress
Maybe US Weekly has the right idea. Maybe we too often forget that in some ways, Stars ARE just like us. That no matter how dreamy your life may seem, you just might not be capable of happiness sometimes. And that's something that everyone deserves to get help with.
When I sat down to write this post, my initial gut was to come at it from the defensive. Surely CZJ would be mocked for coming out about her illness. Surely this news would not be met with the respect it deserved. But as I searched the internet for snark and mockery to back up my certainty that this world is so intolerant of mental illness it would laugh in the face of a woman in pain, I realized that there was none. Even the nastiest of internet quipsters were commending CZJ's openness and decision to seek help.
While Radar Online and Pop Eater hinted at substance abuse in the wake of a difficult year in CZJ's personal life as the cause of the hospitalization, ultimately both offered the actress their support -- Sara at Popeater observed:
In addition to her duties as an actress and mother, Zeta-Jones has dealt with more than enough stress in the past few years to merit some much-needed time off and TLC.
Even Wowowowow's notorious Liz Smith couldn't muster more than kind words and well wishes:
...Good luck to Catherine Zeta-Jones and her battle with bipolar disease. Apparently, the gorgeous Oscar-winner has long suffered from depression; her moods were such that she could “bring a room down.” She admitted herself for treatment last week. I adore both Mrs. and Mr. Douglas (he seems to have overcome his own bout with cancer, during which time Zeta-Jones was by his side 24/7.) Yes, they are rich and famous, but their problems are as real as that couple down the street.
Sure, as per uge, celebrity psych whore Dr. Drew Pinsky was quick to weigh in. But what he has to say was encouraging for those unfamiliar with the illness also known as Manic Depressive disorder.
"She understands her condition. She understands it's a medical condition with a medical solution. It's no different than if she had arthritis in her knee -- she can handle it, move on and lead a completely normal life."
So, Catherine, I stand with you, sister. I wish you a speedy recovery. I thank you for your bravery in your openness with your diagnosis. I feel for you that you live such a lovely life and probably torture yourself all the more when you're not able to enjoy it.
I can't stress enough how important I think it is for public figures to talk openly about their mental health issues. From Gwyneth Paltrow's frank Good Housekeeping interview on her experience with postpartum depression, to Demi Lovato's nervous breakdown, to CZJ's brave open-ness about her Bipolar II and the need to treat it seriously are all steps in the right direction of de-stigmatizing this thing we call "crazy".
What do you think? Did the news of CZJ's diagnosis take you by surprise?
