'Supergirl' star Chyler Leigh was hospitalized after suffering a manic episode during her struggle with bipolar disorder
'Supergirl' star Chyler Leigh got candid about her decade-long battle with bipolar disorder.
37-year-old Leigh had struggled to balance her work life and personal life when she was diagnosed with the condition around 10 years ago. She had earlier told People that things had hit a "breaking point" when she suffered from a manic episode and she struggled to sleep and was hospitalized.
Leigh shared that she is now in a "good place" but admitted that it had been a "very, very difficult journey" learning how to deal with and manage her disorder.
She has teamed up with Be Vocal which is an initiative that encourages people to open up about mental health in order to de-stigmatize the disorder. The group also aims to remind those who are suffering that they should not hesitate to ask for help.
The mother-of-three has a family history of bipolar disorder.
Her mother had suffered from the same condition when Leigh was growing up. She shared with Be Vocal that she had felt that something was off from a very young age. "It was a lot of depression, just bouts of depression where it was debilitating, but it was the ups and downs, it was the swings, and once I got closer to being diagnosed, they were happening so often that I kinda spun myself out," she revealed.
She added that she had been overcome with fear and doubt when she was officially given the diagnosis. While speaking to People, she said, "When I first got the bipolar diagnosis it was sort of like: 'Oh my gosh, if that was me, how on Earth am I going to deal with this?' [I thought:] "Am I in the same place? Am I equipped? Do I have what it takes to actually really genuinely take care of myself?"
Bipolar disorder is a condition that can cause a sudden change in a person's energy levels and mood. The moods can vary from being extremely energetic and elated to periods of extreme lowness. Several celebrities such as Kanye West, Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey, Mel Gibson, and Jean-Claude van Damme have opened up about their battles with the condition.