Actress Carrie Fisher was briefly hospitalized after behaving erratically on a Caribbean cruise ship last week. Her rep says the episode was induced by Fisher's bipolar disorder.
"There was a medical incident related to Carrie Fisher’s bipolar disorder," her rep told TMZ Feb. 26. "She went to the hospital briefly to adjust her medication and is feeling much better now."
Carrie, 56, was in the middle of a guest performance on board the vessel Holland America Eurodam when she began singing off key while she allowed her dog to defecate and urinate on stage (see video below).
Bipolar disorder, which afflicts about six million Americans, is marked by extremes in elevated or irritable moods with periods of depression. Treatment usually involves a combination of drugs and talk therapy. Actress Catherine Zeta Jones recently revealed she suffers from bipolar II disorder.
Fisher, who has been open about her past drug abuse, addiction to prescription medication, and bipolar disorder, continues to get electro-convulsive therapy every six weeks to keep her mood swings under control.
"[Electric shock therapy] just puts you to sleep," said Carrie, who's the daughter of Hollywood icons Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. "There are no convulsions. It actually really helps. I don't have to take as much medication. It gets a bad rap. The only way it's shown in films is as a punishment."
