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Jeff Garlin has revealed for the first time that he’s living with bipolar disorder.
The 60-year-old actor and comedian opened up about the mental health struggles on Instagram Tuesday. “Bipolar is a motherf—er. Sometimes it’s just too much to deal with,” he wrote. “I’m doing the best I can. This is the first time that I’ve opened up about this.”
Bipolar disorder is a manic-depressive illness of the brain that causes extreme changes in mood and energy levels, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
Patients will often experience intense emotions as well as disruption to sleep patterns and their ability to think clearly. These periods can last for an extended time — days or even weeks — with no clear way of predicting when one period will end and another will begin. This can cause patients to have difficulty at work, school or in maintaining their relationships.
It’s estimated that nearly 6 million Americans have some form of the disorder, including celebrities such as Kanye West, Bebe Rexha, and Mariah Carey, who have previously opened up about their experiences.
RELATED: Bipolar Disorder Can Require ‘Rapid Intervention’ — All About the Illness Kanye West Faces
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Garlin’s message about bipolar disorder came hours ahead of the season 10 premiere of The Goldbergs, which he was excluded from after exiting the show last December amid allegations of inappropriate behavior on set.
The actor owned up to “silly” behavior in a conversation with Vanity Fair that same month.
“There has been an HR investigation on me the past three years. HR has come to me three years in a row for my behavior on set,” he said at the time. “It’s always the same thing. It’s about me and my silliness on set. They don’t think it’s appropriate. I do. That’s where we’re at. I’ve not been fired because of it. We just think differently.”
Garlin also insisted he never meant to harm his colleagues, saying, “I’m sorry, I truly am sorry, to have hurt anyone’s feelings, or made anyone feel greatly uncomfortable.”
