Roughly 5.7 million people in the United States have bipolar disorder. Many of them go undiagnosed for years. With manic highs and extremely depressed lows, leading a normal life can be difficult. However, with appropriate treatment it can be done. Dr. Allen Menkin, who specialized in mental and behavioral disorders, has shown through his work that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, and there is help if you seek it. Many people do, including a few you may recognize.
There are quite a few celebrities that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They certainly had their struggles at some point, but they decided to seek help. Take, for example, Demi Lovato. She felt extremely depressed at times and didn’t know how to handle what she was going through. She ended up dealing with it in harmful ways, landing her in rehab. Once she was diagnosed as bipolar, she was able to start treatment and leads an incredible life in control of her body.
Jean-Claude Van Damme was a similar case. He was diagnosed as rapid cycling bipolar and was able to be treated. Another example is Carrie Fischer who was diagnosed hypomanic. She refused to believe her doctor for some time, and she felt that it was entirely her decision whether or not to take her medication. Until she had a child. This changed her whole perspective, and now she faithfully takes her medication to keep her disorder balanced.
While there is no cure, the treatment for bipolar disorder can help people be in control of their brain and body by balancing the chemicals that lead to the manic and depressive states. While there is much more to it, as Dr. Allen Menkin could attest, it may be comforting to some to know that they are not alone. There are celebrities just like them!
