After Battling Bipolar Disorder, Michel Courtemanche Shares Story of Treatment and Recovery

2024-07-02 23:00:00

Michel Courtemanche hasn’t been on stage for several years, but he’s doing better since being treated for his bipolar disorder.

Although he had a tremendous success in France a few years ago, one evening he was paralyzed 10 minutes before going on stage.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TVA

Mélanie Maynard hosted Michel Courtemanche at “Sucré Salé” on July 2nd.

This brings to mind Celine Dion, revealed in the documentary I am: Celine Dion, available on Prime Video, after she was treated with Valium to relax her muscles while suffering from stiff person syndrome.

“I couldn’t move anymore,” said Michel Courtemanche in an interview with Mélanie Maynard at Sweety salty oneTuesday afternoon.

“The doctor came and noticed the damage. He said: “The only solution is to put Valium into his veins to relax him”. But deep down it was my body that said: “I can’t do it anymore!” So they gave me Valium and I did my show for an hour and a half or two. I don’t remember much anymore, for example,” he said.

A diagnosis that changed everything

Michel Courtemanche was diagnosed with bipolarity at the age of 36, about 10 years after the first usual manifestation of this disease.

“Bipolar is an emotional illness that is very self-medicating. The illness created false problems that made me eat. So at 36 when they told me: “you’re bipolar and that’s probably why you’re an alcoholic and drug addict, I did yes, finally I know, there is a word about what I am suffering”. And detoxification was much easier there, even though it was very difficult.”

The 59-year-old artist recalled that he was destined for a career as a director before comedy knocked on his door by chance.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TVA

“Even in short, it was just hanging out and having fun with Claude [Legault] and that’s all. That’s not exactly what I wanted to do. And for the 10 years that I was doing comedy, my stage anxiety really increased, and then I got blocked, completely.

For him, the blockage was caused by fatigue, stress and precisely the bipolarity he didn’t know he was suffering from.

“Then it was a machine that was too big for me, I couldn’t dealer with that. Although, listen, it bothered me so much clenché the success I could not come up with. I didn’t see my friends anymore, I didn’t see my girlfriends anymore, I didn’t see my family anymore, I didn’t see anyone anymore. You are completely isolated in a job that you think will open doors for everyone. […] Today I would do it again and there would be no problem. I don’t have that stress anymore.”

Michel Courtemanche, who won the final of the 3rd season Offended singers, last fall at TVA, recently had a small role in the silent film WEDA, by Sylvain Viau. Thierry Lhermitte, Mitsou, Gaston Lepage, Zibby Allen and Rick Hoffman star in this comedy, which he co-wrote.