Blame it on Mischa Barton’s teeth

Mischa Barton talked to Time Out New York about her recent breakdown and involuntary psychiatric hold, better known as a 5150. She named a multitude of events that compounded to give her a nervous breakdown, but mainly, she blamed the removal of her four wisdom teeth.

A lot of people are watching you now, speculating you were in rehab back in July
Here’s what happened: Before the show started, I was traveling abroad for contract stuff and I went through a terrible surgery—a wisdom tooth surgery, all four removed. It was a nightmare. I’ve never had surgery before—it all went wrong and I had to have a second surgery and it almost delayed shooting because it was a nightmare to me, because I couldn’t deal with the thought of not getting there on time. So with the travel, and surgery and prep for the show—it was hell.

Is this when you were checked into Cedars?
Yeah, I went through a tough spot where everything compounded on me, and it was like a perfect storm, like everything was happening to me at once. The show, travel and then this fairly routine surgery that went wrong—it’s still just healing. But I had to get through it without proper painkillers because I couldn’t take those during work. So it’s been a nightmare.

I know people who had four wisdom teeth pulled out without anesthesia or painkillers afterward because it was too expensive. They didn’t suffer a nervous breakdown and have to be forced into an institution. They even went to work in a day or two. Even if Mischa couldn’t take Vicodin, she could have taken Aspirin or one of those Tylenol Vicodins or do what I do when I find myself in a lot of pain. Imagine a threesome with Rosie O’Donnell and Star Jones. Much like having someone punch you in the arm when you stub your toe, a new pain takes your mind off the other.