Catherine Zeta Jones` bipolar disorder strengthened marriage to Michael Douglas

London: Catherine Zeta Jones has spoken about suffering from bipolar disorder, revealing how it helped strengthen her marriage and made her appreciate the little things in life.

“It`s been an intense time, in good ways and bad,” Catherine told the December issue of the US edition of InStyle. “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.`` It was reported last year that the 43-year-old spent five days in a mental health clinic recovering, which led to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. And the brunette beauty revealed how she had to stop googling her own name, because it became a ``poison`` to her. “The smartest thing I did was to stop going online,” she said. “I`m the sort of person who will just look for the negative - Michael really can`t understand it, but that`s just the way I am. And with my bipolar thing, that`s poison. So I just stopped. Cold turkey. And it`s so liberating. Catherine made the brave decision to speak out about her struggles hoping that it inspires other patients to seek help and speak up. “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,” she added. Catherine has been married to Hollywood star Michael Douglas for 12 years and the couple have two children together, son Dylan and daughter Carys. ANI