Drew Barrymore Looks Back on Her Time in a ‘Full Psychiatric Ward’ at 13 Years Old

Remembering the past. Drew Barrymore is looking back on her time as a child star and shared some harrowing details about her mom, Jaid Barrymore, admitting her to a “full psychiatric ward” at 13 years old.

“I used to laugh at those like Malibu 30-day places,” the 46-year-old actress said during an interview on The Howard Stern Show, released on Monday, February 22. “Malibu was sort of the opposite of the experience I had. I was in a place for a year and a half called Van Eyes Psychiatric and you couldn’t mess around in there, and if you did, you would get thrown either in a padded room or get put in stretcher restraints, and tied up.”

The Charlie’s Angels star made her Hollywood debut in a commercial at 11 months old. From there, she went on to star in blockbuster films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Scream, Never Been Kissed and The Wedding Singer, among others. Over the years, she’s opened up about growing up in the spotlight, frequently discussing her battles with addiction. “I was out of control,” Drew told host Howard Stern on Monday, noting that she was skipping school, “going to clubs” and “stealing my mom’s car.”

During her 18 months in the psychiatric ward, The Drew Barrymore Show host recalled asking herself “why is this happening?”

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“I thought, maybe you need the craziest form of structure because everything was so accessible, available and screwed up in your world that maybe it’s going to take something like this for you to kickstart the rest of your life,” she said. “And that didn’t come for probably about six to eight months. The first six to eight months I was just so angry. I couldn’t see straight.”

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After leaving the facility, the Flower Beauty founder was emancipated from her mother at 14, which she discussed in her 2015 memoir Wildflower. Years later, Drew told Howard, 67, that she has come to “forgive her [mom] for making this choice,” and they have mended their relationship. “I think after, you know, 30, years of therapy, and a lot of soul searching and having kids myself, you know, I think she created a monster,” the Santa Clarita Diet star said. “And she didn’t know what to do with the monster.”

“I can’t have her feel bad anymore. I’m sure she’s already made the crap out of herself for having a daughter who wouldn’t speak to her,” Drew added. “I mean, the pain that I went through from that — I felt so guilty. Denying my mom access to me, it felt like I was cutting off the source of life. It was as hard of a feeling as I’ve ever experienced. Definitely the worst pain I’ve ever known.”