Lark Voorhies Bipolar Disorder: 'Saved By The Bell's' Lisa Turtle Suffering Mental Illness, Mother Says
Lark Voorhies, the actress who came to fame on the hit 1980s sitcom "Saved By The Bell," is reportedly suffering from bipolar disorder, according to her mother.
Voorhies raised eyebrows among the employees of People Magazine when she sat for a string of recent interviews and appeared incoherent and "disturbingly vacant."
Reports said that during the interview, 38-year-old Voorhies kept a "near-constant dialogue - by turns mournful, frenetic, and angry - with unseen figures," and struggled "to focus for even brief moments."
Her mother, Tricia Voorhies, 64, explained to People that the explanation behind her daughter's strange behavior is that she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
"There are things that have traumatized her. I care deeply about my daughter and I want her to resume her life," Voorhies' mother said.
But the actress told the magazine she is not suffering from mental illness, and her "over-loving" mother is just being protective of her.
Voorhies explained to the magazine that she has been battling inner demons, but she would not admit to any mental instability.
"We met at a very powerful moment - it's like carrying on the interview in a hurricane," she said to the People reporter.
To explain what seemed to be random mutterings to no one, Voorhies said, "You caught me in moments of prayer. I have a strong spiritual sense."
Voorhies did admit to the magazine that she hears voices inside her head, but she was "defiant about getting psychiatric help."
"They can't explain it. They can't treat it. They don't know about it," she said.
Voorhies' former "Saved by the Bell" co-star Dustin Diamond spoke to The Huffington Post about the actress' strange behavior on the set of an indie movie they worked on together recently. She appeared fine at first, but her condition got worse throughout the day, Diamond said.
"The person who said 'hi' to me when she first showed up on set was not the same person at the end of the night," he said. "It was like talking to two different people."
