Rene Russo Reveals Her Struggles With Bipolar Disorder

Yours, Mine and Ours star, Rene Russo, recently opened up in an interview on The Queen Latifah Show about her struggles and life with bipolar disorder.

When host Queen Latifah asked her guests, Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal (promoting the movie Nightcrawler), what things they've had to push thru in their lives, that's when Russo stated that she takes medication for her condition.

"I literally crashed, hit a wall and couldn't get out of bed," Russo said about deciding to go on medication. "I thought it was depression, but if you take antidepressants it speeds you up more."

"I haven't shared this," she continued. "I have friends who don't want to go on medication, and they are suffering."

Russo has been dealing with bipolar disorder since childhood as she explains, "My mom said my whole childhood ... was stop and go," Rene said to People. "And then I stopped and was like, 'Whoa,' that was it for me. I didn't really expect to say this, but that was really it for me."

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by periods of elevated moods and periods of depression. When the elevated mood is in play it is usually known as mania. In times of mania, one will act abnormally happy, energetic or irritable. In times of depression the sufferer will be sad with bouts of crying.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is another celebrity that has struggled openly with bipolar disorder. She announced that she was seeking treatment for the disorder in April 2011.

As Russo finished sharing her hardships Latifah said, "Thank you so much for sharing that. That can really help some people."

The actress has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since 1992 and the couple has one daughter, Rose, 21.

She is currently promoting the movie Nightcrawler about a young man (Gyllenhaal) who stumbles upon an underground world of Los Angeles freelance crime journalists.