Known for saving lives in Hollywood blockbusters, Van Damme contemplated taking his own before Rapid Cycling diagnosis.

​

Reflecting on his worst moments Van Damme told E! Online: "It became a point where I wanted to die. I didn't have any reasons to live. Maybe it's selfish to say that, but I was not excited about anything.  Then you have to find back your self-esteem. And then, slowly, every piece of yourself becomes precious again. One day it's, like, either you pass or you don't. It's not the drugs, it's a problem with yourself, which you have to cure."​​​​​​​​​​​

​

The action star traces his illness to his early life career when he was ​​​​​​​​​​"... compensating for [then undiagnosed] manic-depressive disease with training. When I didn't train for a couple of days, I felt so low and nothing could make me happy."

​

Since being diagnosed Van Damme has spoken about ebing prescribed sodium valporate and said:  "You just have to take a little salt, and since I'm doing that it's, like, BOOM! In one week, I felt it kick in. All the commotion around me, all the water around me, moving left and right around me, became like a lake."

​​​​