Mariah Carey has revealed she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 17 years ago.
In an interview with People magazine, the singer said she was first diagnosed with the condition in 2001 after a mental breakdown which resulted in her being admitted to hospital.
Mariah Carey, who has sold 200 million records worldwide, said she only recently has sought medical treatment.
The singer said it came after “the hardest couple of years I’ve been through”.
Mariah Carey explained: “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me.
“It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore.
“I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love – writing songs and making music.”
Mariah Carey said she is now having therapy and taking medication for bipolar disorder, which has caused her to have periods of depression and hypomania, which can cause irritability and insomnia.
She said: “I’m actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good. It’s not making me feel too tired or sluggish or anything like that. Finding the proper balance is what is most important.”
Mariah Carey added that for a long time she thought she had “severe sleep disorder” but whilst working on her album in the studio released “it wasn’t normal insomnia”.
“I was irritable and in constant fear of letting people down,” she added.
Mariah Carey told People: “I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy. I would feel so lonely and sad – even guilty that I wasn’t doing what I needed to be doing for my career.”
We are all complicated individuals. Our psychological makeup varies substantially and significantly impacts every aspect of our lives. Thankfully today emotional difficulties are more widely shared, making it at least slightly easier to navigate the troubled waters of dealing with an emotional disturbance with someone you love.
However, there is one relatively widespread psychological disorder that is still widely misunderstood. Not only that, but individuals often shy away from even discussing the condition because it has such an unflattering name: Borderline Personality Disorder. This disorder is particularly challenging because it is primarily interpersonal and appears as a relational issue. But it is not; it is mental and must be recognized and treated as such.
So if you partner is dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder, it is important to understand a few key components of how the condition manifests. Likewise adjusting the way you interact with your significant other can also help both of you enjoy a happier, more fulfilling relationship.
What Are the Major Symptoms of the Condition?
For far too long people have been ignorant of this situation. It is the time that we all share more about the disorder and learn to understand that it is a mental disruption. While symptoms may differ depending on the affected individual, common symptoms include:
Stormy relationships that impact the individual’s ability to maintain a job or close relationship
Frequent emotional outbursts that may include verbal abuse, acts of revenge, or even physical attacks
Sensitivity to abandonment and rejection
Critical judgment of those with closest relationships
Viewpoint of individuals as good or bad
Frequent self-destructive activity, including reckless driving, shoplifting, cutting, binge eating, engaging in promiscuous sexual behavior and abusing drugs and alcohol
Like many other mental disorders, borderline personalities run the gamut from mild to severe. It may be difficult for individuals to be acutely aware of the extent of their emotional troubles.
Why Are BPD Relationships So Difficult?
To put it simply, many of the features of Borderline Personality Disorder disrupt those behaviors and thoughts that allow us to have effective interpersonal relationships. Some of those factors include:
Emotional intelligence – Individuals who struggle with BPD monitoring emotions – their own and those of the people around them. Without this type of information, it is difficult for an individual to express empathy and other essential emotions.
Aggression – Individuals with the condition struggle with impulsive aggression that may be turned inward or outward. It is hard to predict what may trigger this type of aggression, but it is often related to immediate threats of abandonment or rejection accompanied by frustration.
Sensitivity – People with this condition are overly sensitive to rejection. They often wait for it or anticipate it even if it is not there.
Maturity – Emotional maturity is a common struggle for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. These people may become disproportionately sad, angry, or frustrated depending on the circumstances, much like a child without well-developed emotional control.
What Can You Do to Effectively Cope with Your Partner’s Disorder?
It’s common for life to feel a bit like a roller coaster if you live with an individual who has BPD. Encouraging your loved one to participate in psychotherapy is, of course, an important component of the approach. However, there are additional considerations you can make even if therapy is not progressing. Here are a few important strategies to implement for dealing with and relating to your loved one.
Practice consistency and predictability.
It is important that you keep your word when it comes to things that you have said you will or will not do. Avoid giving in to the borderline behavior lest it is reinforced.
Promote responsibility.
It is easy to become your loved one’s rescuer, but that will only hurt both of you and your relationship. Do not give in and take responsibility for your loved one’s irresponsible behavior. If he or she racks up a massive credit card bill, don’t cover the cost. If the person wrecks the vehicle, don’t be the one to replace it. You cannot rescue your partner from the consequences of his or her actions. Otherwise, there will be no incentive to change.
Provide honest feedback.
Individuals with BPD often have a skewed view of fairness and responsibility. Don’t agree that he or she has been unfairly treated if you don’t believe that it is true. Offer honest feedback instead. For example, you might say, “I know it is frustrating when you are fired,” but don’t jump on the bandwagon agreeing that it was all because of the mean people for whom he or she worked.
Diffuse the argument.
It can be particularly difficult relating effectively to an individual with BPD. A compliment might be met with an accusation that you are patronizing, while constructive criticism might be portrayed as just as villainous. Instead of escalating an argument, try to diffuse things. Keep your cool in the situation and move on. Even physically remove yourself from the interaction if need be.
Borderline Personality Disorder is a severe condition for both of you to cope with, but it can be done. Use these strategies and remember that the issue is a mental imbalance, not a relationship issue.
Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke has died at the age of 69.
Patty Duke won an Oscar for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker in 1963.
As well as a best supporting Oscar, Patty Duke won an Emmy in 1980 for playing Helen Keller’s teacher in a TV movie.
Patty Duke also starred in The Patty Duke Show in the 1960s in which she took the roles of “identical” teenage cousins.
Photo Getty Images
The actress was the mother of actor Sean Astin, who played the hobbit Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films.
Patty Duke’s representative, Mitchell Stubbs, said in a statement that she had died on March 29 of sepsis from a ruptured intestine.
She underwent a heart bypass in 2004.
Mitchell Stubbs said: “She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a mental health advocate and a cultural icon. She will be missed.”
A statement from Patty Duke’s family read: “This morning, our beloved wife, mother, matriarch and the exquisite artist and champion of mental health, Anna Patty Duke, closed her eyes, quieted her pain and ascended to a beautiful place.”
Patty Duke died in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, according to her son Sean’s publicist, Teri Weigel.
She was a child star, making her first TV appearance at the age of 12.
In The Miracle Worker, 16-year-old Patty Duke played blind and deaf girl Helen Keller whose tutor – played by Anne Bancroft – breaks through her isolation and helps her to communicate.
Among her other awards were Emmys for My Sweet Charlie in 1970 and Captains and the Kings in 1976.
Patty Duke also appeared in the Broadway musical Oklahoma!.
In her autobiography, Patty Duke revealed that in the 1980s she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In later life Patty Duke became a strong advocate for increasing awareness, funding and research for people with mental illness.
Police searching for missing Misty Upham in Washington have found a body they believe to be hers, officials say.
Misty Upham, 32, known for roles in August: Osage County and Django Unchained, has been missing for 10 days.
The body of a woman was found in a ravine near the White River on Thursday afternoon.
A medical examiner has yet to positively identify the remains or determine a cause of death.
A purse with identification belonging to Misty Upham was reportedly found at the scene.
Police searching for missing Misty Upham in Washington have found a body they believe to be hers
Misty Upham, a 32-year-old Native American actress was said to be suicidal at the time of her disappearance.
Her father, Charles Upham, told a local radio affiliate his daughter had been upset and had stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder and anxiety.
Misty Upham’s family said she moved to the Seattle area to help care for her father, who had suffered a stroke.
She was reportedly staying on the Muckleshoot reservation, and was last seen walking from an apartment south of Seattle.
Misty Upham was earlier nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for supporting role in the 2008 film Frozen River.
Chris Brown has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, severe insomnia, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the singer’s rehab facility confirmed during a court appearance in Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, the facility said in a letter: “Mr. Brown became aggressive and acted out physically due to his untreated mental health disorder, severe sleep deprivation, inappropriate self-medicating and untreated PTSD.”
The letter continued: “Mr. Brown’s attitude has been beyond exemplary in regard to his community service responsibilities.”
Chris Brown has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, severe insomnia, and PTSD
The document also stated that Chris Brown, 24, has tested negative for drugs during his stay, and has been put on medication for his conditions.
Chris Brown voluntarily checked himself into rehab on October 29 after allegedly assaulting another man, Christopher Hollosy, in Washington D.C.
Chris Brown has completed 95 days of anger management therapy and was ordered Friday to stay in rehab for two more months.
After Catherine Zeta-Jones turned up alone to the Red 2 premieres in Los Angeles and New York, the rumor mill went into overdrive that she’s getting a divorce from Michael Douglas after 13 years of marriage.
They’ve overcome Michael Douglas’ stage 4 cancer and her bipolar disorder but apparently they’re now calling it quits.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones divorce
“Michael and Catherine’s marriage is effectively over,” one close family insider told Star magazine.
“Michael is going to announce the split soon, but he wants to wait until after the Emmys in September.”
According to this insider: “Catherine is fighting to save the marriage but he’s had it.”
“Michael has been through so much in recent years. he feels that life is too short for all this misery – her wild rages, temper tantrums, mood swings, secret boozing and demanding ways!”
And considering Michael Douglas’ divorce to first wife Diandra in 2000 was one of the most expensive in Hollywood history, his split from Catherine Zeta-Jones could cost a lot of money. Star magazine are putting the couple’s joint worth at a cool $300 million.
Another source said: “It’s been a long, rocky road for Michael and Catherine, but it’s clear to every-one that the end is near.”
Meanwhile the National Enquirer reports that Michael Douglas, 68, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 43, secretly split a year ago in a trial separation.
Last year Catherine Zeta-Jones went public about her bipolar disorder – and said just recently she hopes she can help remove the stigma from the mental condition.
But during an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America today, Catherine Zeta-Jones insisted she is tired of talking about the illness.
Catherine Zeta-Jones was treated in a psychiatric hospital last April for manic depression over the stress of her husband Michael Douglas’s battle against cancer.
At the time her publicist confirmed she was receiving help for the mood-altering illness.
Despite being very open about her condition since, during her interview today Catherine Zeta-Jones insisted she “never wanted to become the poster child” – and does not want to be seen as a victim.
She said: “You know what? I’m sick of talking about it because I never wanted to be the poster child for this.”
“I never wanted this to come out publicly. It came out,” she added emphatically.
Talking about how she copes with the illness she went on: “I dealt with it in the best way I could and that was just saying: <<Hey, I’m bipolar>>. Everyone has things going on and we deal with them as best we can.”
Very matter of factly, Catherine Zeta-Jones continued: “We can’t go jump from the rooftops shouting about I have this, look at me, victim.
“No, we all have issues in our life and I’m really lucky that I have great friends, great support and that’s all I can do.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones went public about her bipolar disorder last year
Catherine Zeta-Jones suffers from bipolar II, which unlike bipolar I, means the “up” moods do not reach full-on levels of mania.
Rather than descending into deep depressions, patients can be very outgoing, functional and often more productive than normal, one reason why it often goes undiagnosed.
Despite suggesting her reluctance to talk about her illness, Catherine Zeta-Jones spoke in detail to InStyle magazine this month about her diagnosis last year.
“It’s been an intense time, in good ways and bad,” Catherine Zeta-Jones said.
“You find out who you really are and who you are married to. You find things inside yourself you never imagined were there.”
“I’ve gained an appreciation for little things, like tea outside on a terrace and a beautiful afternoon like this.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones has been married to Michael Douglas for 12 years and the couple have two children together, son Dylan and daughter Carys.
It was reported last year that Catherine Zeta-Jones spent five days in a mental health clinic recovering, which lead to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
She also told the magazine that she hopes she can help other suffering with the condition.
“I’m not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops but with my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow sufferers will know it is completely controllable.
“I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to it, and that those who don’t have it under control will seek help with all that is available to treat it.”
Sinead O’Connor announces she has cancelled the remaining dates of her world tour, saying she is still recovering from a “very serious breakdown”.
In a statement on her official website, Sinead O’Connor, 45, said she had scrapped all concerts this year due to her bipolar disorder.
Sinead Connor’s website has now been deleted along with her Twitter account.
A spokesman said: “We have had nothing confirmed yet but are working on the assumption that the statement on her website is correct.”
Sinead O'Connor cancels the remaining dates of her world tour, saying she is still recovering from a "very serious breakdown"
In the statement, Sinead O’Connor, 45, said she was very “unwell” and it was with “enormous regret” that she had to make the decision.
Sinead O’Connor wrote: “As you all know I had a very serious breakdown between December and March and I had been advised by my doctor not to go on tour but didn’t want to <<fail>> or let anyone down as the tour was already booked to coincide with album release.
“So very stupidly I ignored his advice to my great detriment, attempting to be stronger than I actually am. I apologize sincerely for any difficulties this may cause.”
Sinead O’Connor released her new critically acclaimed album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? in February.
Last December, Sinead O’Connor announced she had split from her therapist husband Barry Herridge after 16 days of marriage.
Sinead O’Connor also said she was still hoping to appear at the Curtis Mayfield tribute concert at The Lincoln Center in New York in July.
[googlead tip=”vertical_mediu” aliniat=”stanga”] The University of Michigan Health System researchers said stem cell could offer new hope for unlocking the secrets of bipolar disorder.
A new project begins at the University of Michigan as the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund marks ten years in the search for a cure of bipolar disorder.
According to a University of Michigan Health System statement posted on its website on August 22, the new stem cell lines developed from the skin of adults living with bipolar disorder are providing researchers at the University of Michigan Health System an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the genetic and biological underpinnings of the devastating mood disorder.
Scientists will be able to link new findings – such as how gene expression is affected by different medications – to extensive clinical and demographic data from the cell donors, who are also participants in an ongoing long-term study of hundreds of individuals with bipolar disorder.
The induced pluripotent stem cells could offer new hope for unlocking the secrets of bipolar disorder.
The new research comes as the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund, based at the University of Michigan Depression Center, prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of its establishment by Waltraud “Wally” Prechter following the July 2001 death of her husband, Heinz. Before he took his life, few people knew that the well-known automotive entrepreneur wrestled with bipolar disorder.
“Currently the best treatments for bipolar disorder are only effective for 30 percent to 50 percent of patients,” said Melvin McInnis, M.D., the Thomas B and Nancy Upjohn Woodworth Professor of Bipolar Disorder and Depression at the University of Michigan Medical School and associate director at the University of Michigan Depression Center.
“New discoveries have been limited, in part due to the lack of access to tissue and cells from individuals with bipolar disorder. But that is now changing because of the Prechter research program and advances in stem cell research.”
The new stem cell lines – among the first to be created by the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute Consortium for Stem Cell Therapies – were made from fibroblasts from skin samples donated by adult research volunteers both with and without bipolar disorder.[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]
In the lab, scientists can coax these skin cells into behaving like embryonic stem cells. Known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSC, these, in turn, can be manipulated to develop into different types of body cells, including brain cells.
“We will be able to see if there are differences in how the neurons of a person with bipolar disorder make connections, determine how they respond to different medications and explore potential deficiencies in signaling pathways,” explained Sue O’Shea, Ph.D., a professor of cell and developmental biology at the Medical School who leads the stem cell lab with Gary Smith, Ph.D, professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
“So far, five lines have been created. The goal, is to develop 30 cell lines – 20 from people with bipolar disorder and 10 control subjects. Creating each line is a painstaking and expensive process.”
“We often think of stems cells being used in therapies to treat disease, but this is a great example of stem cells’ usefulness for studying the mechanisms of disease.”
“The iPS cells renew themselves, so they’re an unlimited source of material and offer hope to individuals with bipolar disorder.”
Still, the researchers caution, new treatments spurred by this work could be a decade or more away.
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, affects 5.7 million adults in the United States. It is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain and marked by significant changes in mood, thoughts, energy and behavior.
Heinz Prechter, the well known automotive entrepreneur wrestled with bipolar disorder.
[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”dreapta”]Because bipolar disorder runs in families, research at University of Michigan (U-M) has focused on studying disease genes. There is no single gene that “causes” someone to become bipolar, but the disease has its roots in genetic vulnerabilities.
The Prechter Bipolar Genetic Repository already houses more than 1,500 genetic samples from people with bipolar disorder and healthy controls from studies at U-M along with collaborating sites: Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Cornell and Penn State. It is the first independently funded bipolar genetics repository in the nation. In addition to sharing the knowledge between the different universities, confidential, coded DNA repository samples and clinical information will be made available to scientists worldwide to accelerate and share clinical breakthroughs in evaluating and treating bipolar disorder.
The Prechter longitudinal study has already collected more than 5 years’ worth of data.
“I’m really proud that over the last 10 years my husband’s legacy has grown to include the strides we’re making to understand bipolar disorder and find new treatments,” Wally Prechter says.
“Bipolar is like any other illness – cancer, diabetes, heart disease – and deserves the same urgency.”
“That lack of effective treatment is a big reason for the high risk of suicide or suicide attempts among people with bipolar disorder. Anywhere from 5% to 15% of bipolar patients will attempt or commit suicide sometime in their lives,” said McInnis.
“Depression caused by Heinz Prechter’s bipolar disorder affected his whole being,” said Wally Prechter.
“He was extremely exuberant and happy, and very, very optimistic, to the point that I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve never met anyone like that.’ But when he was depressed it was to the point that he would stay home and just sit in a chair and look out at the river,” she said.
The memory of how her brilliant husband was reduced to such a low, unable to tell anyone what he was going through, is part of what continues to drive her today.
U-M Health System CEO and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., points to the research as a great example of the strides that can be made when public institutions and private donors collaborate on research that benefits the public.
“The Prechter research shows how we continue to fuel innovation through exciting collaborations that highlight our commitment to bench-to-bedside medical advances,” Pescovitz said.
“We are very fortunate to have Wally and her family as part of our Michigan family.”
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