Celebrities & Mental Illness

Catherine Zeta-Jones helped squash the stigma of mental illness by coming clean with her diagnosis. See which other stars have stood up to their psychological conditions.

By Lizzie Dunlap

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Catherine Zeta-Jones

After standing by Michael Douglas's side while he battled throat cancer, the Oscar-winning actress sought treatment at an undisclosed mental health clinic for Bipolar II Disorder in April 2011. Marked by mood swings, Bipolar II Disorder is a less severe version of Bipolar I Disorder, which includes manic episodes among its many symptoms.

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Demi Lovato

After an altercation with a backup dancer while on tour with the Jonas Brothers, Lovato entered rehab for "physical and emotional issues" in November 2010. Released in January 2011, Lovato told Seventeen, "I basically had a nervous breakdown." After addressing lifelong issues with eating disorders, Lovato is now a spokesperson for the Jed Foundation’s “Love is Louder Than the Pressure to Be Perfect” campaign.

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Ashley Judd

Judd sought treatment for depression at a mental health facility in Texas in 2006. While on her recent book tour for her new memoir, All That Is Bitter & Sweet, Judd disclosed that she was sexually assaulted as a child and attributed that to her emotional issues later in life.

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Carrie Fisher

The Star Wars actress was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in her late teens but didn't seek help until overdosing at 28. Fisher, whose latest book, Wishful Drinking, topped bestseller lists, once said of the illness, "My life dealing with the bipolar situation was far from funny."

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Mary-Kate Olsen

After looking alarmingly thin at the premiere of her movie New York Minute, Olsen checked herself in to the Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah for experimental therapy for anorexia nervosa in 2004.

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Linda Hamilton

After struggling with depression for most of her life—the Terminator star even referred to the years between 20 and 40 as her "lost years"—Hamilton was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in the mid-'90s.

Lindsay Lohan

After a couple of bouts with rehab for substance abuse (and the law), Lohan was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to finish out her 90-day judge-issued jail stay. She reportedly received treatment for ongoing emotional issues, including depression, while there.

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Brooke Shields

Shields shared her experience with postpartum depression in her 2005 book, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. Her decision to take Paxil, an anti-depressant, to expedite her recovery prompted a mini-feud with Scientologist Tom Cruise.

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