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Barton: Tooth Surgery Led to Breakdown

Mischa talks The Beautiful Life and rumors of drug abuse—sort of

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 28, 2009 10:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – Mischa Barton is speaking out for the first time about last month’s “involuntary psychiatric hold,” and the troubled actress pins much of the blame on wisdom tooth surgery. “It was a nightmare," she tells Time Out New York. "I’ve never had surgery before—it all went wrong and I had to have a second surgery,” she says. “I went through a tough spot where everything compounded on me, and it was like a perfect storm.”

Her mother checked her into the psychiatric hospital, but Barton remains vague about the diagnosis. "I was down in the dumps about everything there for a while. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom just to feel better again.” Was it a nervous breakdown or drugs? “I don’t know,” she says. “I’m not sure I’m capable of a full-on nervous breakdown.”

In this April 21, 2009 file photo, actress Mischa Barton arrives at a central London hotel for the launch of a new handbag collection.
In this April 21, 2009 file photo, actress Mischa Barton arrives at a central London hotel for the launch of a new handbag collection.   (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)
British born actress Mischa Barton attends the official opening of the Harrods Summer Sale  in London, Saturday June 27, 2009.
British born actress Mischa Barton attends the official opening of the Harrods Summer Sale in London, Saturday June 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/Simon Dawson)
Mischa Barton attends the Miss Sixty Fall 2009 fashion show at Bryant Park, in New York, on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009.
Mischa Barton attends the Miss Sixty Fall 2009 fashion show at Bryant Park, in New York, on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
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(It was) like everything was happening to me at once. The show, travel and then this fairly routine surgery that went wrong. But I had to get through it without proper painkillers because I couldn’t take those during work. - Mischa Barton

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 7 comments
gabo
Aug 28, 2009 6:40 AM CDT
hey, quit being nice
my-name-here
Aug 28, 2009 6:05 AM CDT
LMAO! I wish I'd thought of that one!
cognitivefilter
Aug 28, 2009 5:37 AM CDT
listen, if your wisdom teeth get really bad then they get REALLY bad. the surgery can prove itself very difficult. i'm skeptical about it being so bad you'd kill yourself, but any amount of extreme pain for prolonged periods of time can make someone want to absolutely die, or at least never get out of bed again.

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