FORMER spin doctor and Burnley fan Alaistair Campbell has said Catherine Zeta Jones announcement she has bipolar disorder could help reduce the stigma of mental health problems.

The Welsh actress has just revealed she has received treatment for the condition which Mr Campbell has also battled.

Her decision to go public has also been supported by the man in charge of providing mental health support in Lancashire.

Bipolar, also known as manic depres-sion, causes severe mood swings, which can last several weeks, or months.

Zeta Jones, 41, revealed that she checked into a mental health facility after dealing with the stress of her husband Michael Douglas’ battle with throat cancer.

John Herring, the service manager of Mindcare and Healthy Minds, which help people experiencing ‘emotional well-being’ problems in Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire respectively, said more people were experiencing mental health issues.

The teams offer support and advice to people affected by issues including depression, stress, bereavement, job loss, house repossession, and traumatic events. The two services had a total of 15,000 referrals last year, a number Mr Herring said was on the rise.

He said: “"In East Lancashire these problems appear to be significant and that is because our referral rates are quite high.

"When we launched Healthy Minds in 2008 we had about 8,000 referrals a year, which has risen to about 11,500.

"I think some people do suffer in silence and there is a stigma attached.

"The fact Catherine Zeta Jones has come out and said this, we are encouraged by that, and we hope more people will come out and talk about it.” "Mr Campbell is a known sufferer of bipolar and an ambassador for Time to Change, the campaign to change attitudes on mental illness.

He said: “"In an ideal world, it would not take a film star to get the media focused on mental illness.

"But we don'’t live in an ideal world, we live in a celebrity culture.

"One in four of us will have a mental illness at some point. That is a lot of people.

"Very few are film stars.

"Zeta Jones will help raise the profile of the issues, whether she wanted it that way, or not.

"That should lead to better understanding, but better understanding must be an accompaniment to good treatment, not a substitute.”"

Shameless writer Paul Abbott, from Burnley, has also previously spoken about his battle with bipolar, which he was diagnosed with at 15 following a suicide attempt.

He has also written the forward for help guide Bipolar Disorder: The Ultimate Guide by Sarah Owen, Amanda Saunders.

Mr Herring said the earlier problems were spotted, the more his teams could help.

People can access the support of Mind Care, or Healthy Minds, by visiting their GP, Connexions, Age Conc-ern, or the Citizens Advice Bureau, or visit www.eastlancshealthyminds.nhs.uk