Mischa Barton News

LOS ANGELES — Mischa Barton may have raised more questions about her recent hospitalization after a bizarre interview on Friday's "The View."

During her appearance, the 23-year-old actress often shifted gears as she tried to explain what led to her being placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold in July.

"I mean, really it was blown out of proportion, so it's kind of silly now to be talking about it because I'm so fine now, but it was really just a bad time for me," Barton told the ABC chatfest. "It was sort of one of those things that was like a perfect storm. Everything happened at once."

When "View" co-host Barbara Walters pointed out that she wasn't exactly placed in a "regular hospital," Barton once again blamed her hospitalization on a dental procedure.

"Right, I mean, it was just ... I was overwhelmed," said Barton. "I had too much work going on. I had a surgery for my wisdom teeth that went really badly. I had been in the hospital. I had two surgeries on my wisdom teeth. I had four taken out and they had gotten it really badly wrong. They had to drill into my jaw and I was just in really excruciating pain."

"I had an infection and a dry socket and I woke up on a Sunday morning and there was no doctor available," she continued. "I was trying to take the minimum amount of pain killers and get through it because I had to go to work soon and I was getting ready to go do this show, 'The Beautiful Life,' and meanwhile I still had a schedule to travel. I was going to Europe. I was going to London. I had things to do and I was prepping to do photo shoots and I was just overwhelmed. I had so much work to do and the surgery had gone so badly for me. And I think that I was just starting to feel completely overwhelmed. It was just too much to have this surgery go so wrong."

Barton's awkward response led to fellow "View" co-host Joy Behar questioning why a psychiatric hospital would handle a case consisting of physical pain.

"When they take you into the hospital for something when it goes really wrong if you're having a meltdown and you say something like 'I feel like I want to die,' ... they start injecting you with things to calm down," Barton explained. "Like I'm petrified of needles. Like absolutely petrified ... you can't come anywhere ... I had my blood drawn once in my life for my insurance."

"Anyway, I got really healthy since then," added Barton. "I've just been doing everything I can to keep my job happy and healthy and I've moved to New York with my two dogs and I have a great apartment I just got."

LOS ANGELES — Mischa Barton remains hospitalized after being placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold last week, but the former "O.C." star is making progress in her recovery.

While the star's rep, Craig Schneider, would not elaborate on Barton's condition, he did tell Us Weekly that she is "making improvements."

Barton was hospitalized last Wednesday after police were called to her home for a "medical issue." She is currently being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

While what led to Barton's hospitalization remains a mystery, several of her friends have claimed that the 23-year-old actress struggles with her physical appearance.

"She has big self-esteem issues. ... She hates her legs," one pal told People. "She isn't comfortable with her body. It's been a big source of stress and self-hate."

Last May, Barton's body was a major tabloid story after she was photographed topless on a beach while vacationing in Australia. Several stories followed accusing Barton of having cellulite, which prompted her rep to respond that the photos were doctored.

"She had a big problem with those photos of her cellulite. … She didn't like it," a source tells People. "That just was something that contributed to her spiraling but she didn't do much to fix it because of her partying."

After the cellulite claims were made, Barton took to her blog where she opened up about the controversy and her ensuing weight loss.

"I'm happier and healthier than ever so there is no need to worry about me. Things are really well in Mischa world and I've just been watching what I eat," she wrote. "I still love my pilates and yoga, and have cut back on fatty foods a bit. My time in India and Paris really just helped me lose a little bit of weight but there's nothing drastic going on!"

"I appreciate the concern, I just wish the press wouldn't harbor on it as I think it's very unhealthy for young girls to read about and pay attention to," Barton continued. "To my female fans: Just be happy and secure with yourself and don't let other people's perceptions of you dictate the way you live your life."