Zeta-Jones may help dispel stigma of bipolar disorder

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   >>> back now at 8:08. with a brief stay at mental health facility for katharine zita jones . she sought treatment for bipolar disorder . nbc's miguel almaguer has details.

   >> reporter: an academy award winner, katharine zeta jones is one of hollywood's most beautiful, most bankable stars, but on wednesday she shocked fans with offscreen news. her publicist revealed katharine made the decision to check into a mental health clinic to treat bipolar 2 disorder.

   >> you get these brief orders of highs and lows. 2 is where you have all the lows, which is depression and you have smaller highs.

   >> that's a movie star and i get to sleep with him every night.

   >> reporter: zeta jones is married to oscar winner michael douglas .

   >> i've about got cancer. found out about it three weeks ago.

   >> reporter: last august the 66-year-old announced he was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer . during treatment he lost 32 poumds as he battled the deceased.

   >> reporter: married for ten years katherine was by michael throw it all. it made their family stronger.

   >> being as strong as i always thought he would be, his sense of humor during tough times, and think it just brings your love much, much, much closer.

   >> life threatening.

   >> reporter: in january douglas told matt on "today" his cancer was in remission.

   >> i feel good, relieved. the tumor is gone.

   >> reporter: but the chemotherapy and radiation had lasted for months, especially hard on the family with two young children.

   >> i think that they're coping as any family would, which is by leaning on one another and drawing strength from their relationships.

   >> we're private, as much as we can be, and we just battle through. but nobody battled through as much as michael.

   >> reporter: she was there for him. now he'll be there for her. out of treatment at home, zeta jones is said to be doing well.

   >> it's perfect.

   >> reporter: ready to go back to work as one of hollywood's brightest stars . for today, miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles .

   >> doctor nancy snyderman is a chief editor and gail saltz. they deserve a certain amount of privacy.

   >> and we concur with that, yes.

   >> so let's use this opportunity, though, not to talk about her specific situation because we don't know but talk about bipolar 2 disorder. what exactly is it?

   >> it's a form of a mood disorder where you have episodes of major depression , true depression, alternating potentially with what's called hypomania or a low form of a high, and in bipolar 2 unlike bipolar 1, that high could be intense irritability, sleeplessness, or it could be kind of an elation, grand asti. that's why it can be difficult to spot. it can look like a functional person who's super up.

   >> is this a predispowe something's for getting. is this something that can come out of the blue or --

   >> both. you know, a lot of people will have a family predisposition to it and stress can be a trigger for this. a lot of times we see true -- they used to call this manic depressive disorder . we can see bipolar disease in really creative people. i think about your really manic comedians who have really high highs and really low lows. we're not talking about those kinds of extremes here but certainly the stress, if you look at katharicatherine zeta- jones of a husband with cancer, an ongoing litigation, small children, turning 41.

   >> she's had plenty this year.

   >> this has been a power packed year for that kind of stress.

   >> stress makes bipolar disorder potentially worse. but i want to be clear. stress doesn't give you bipolar disorder . you're usicly genetically pre disposed or already have the illness.

   >> checked into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar 2 disorder. i think what catches people is a brief stay. is it an episode? you can have this, go somewhere and in a couple of days -- what is it?

   >> there are two possibilities.

   >> you kick start treatment.

   >> one is the illness has gotten worse and there's an episode going on and it needs intins treatment in order to control it. usually with education and psycho therapy . however, you can go in the hospital even if you're not to tune up medications because it's not a simple matter. it's a mood-stabilizing drug, sometimes two drugs. sometimes you have to add an antidepressant if you're in a depressive period. people can sometimes become toxic.

   >> there's a stigma attached any time you start to describe a mental illness but the indication is this is someone, whether it's contactet rinne zeta- jones or anyone else with this who can live productive very normal lives.

   >> there's a ridiculous stigma in this country about this. i would say there's less of a stigma about her husband's cancer than her getting bipolar disease and we have to sort of get over it. people get sick. our job as doctors is to get them well.

   >> that's a problem in the brain. like you had a problem with your stomach. and i'd like to say that i think it's tremendously brave of her to come forward and i'm delighted that she's doing that because there are many people who do lead productive lives or have a new diagnosis and we want them to know that they have every hope if they get treatment of having wonderfully productive lives.

   >> and that would be the expectation here.

   >> i would like to say i like them both very much.

   >> they've been great friends of this program.

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