News | Entertainment
4 Jul 2025 13:43
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    David Harbour says acting is his "lifeline" when it comes to managing his bipolar disorder

    The 'Stranger Things' star - who has spent time in a mental asylum - has admitted he relies heavily on his creative work to keep him from ascending into "madness"


    Speaking on the 'Blank Podcast', he said: “First of all, the interesting thing about my own particular brand of it is that I never have an episode when I’m working.

    “So, in some way I’ve generally been able to see a link between my own creative energies when they are channelled into some kind of work form and that when they are not channelled that it goes off into some kind of madness.

    “In that way, it has made working even more vital to me.

    “It’s kind of a lifeline.”

    The 44-year-old star also benefits from regular therapy sessions.

    He added: “There are also these intangibles, things that actually keep us alive.

    “To me, talk therapy is really important, and acting.

    "It’s important for me to be an artist, and I think if I wasn’t an artist I’d be a lot worse off and has made work more vital.”

    David's parents sent him to a psychiatric hospital when he became convinced that he was connected to "some sort of God" in his mid-20s.

    Speaking last year, he said: "I really had like a bit of a break where I thought I was in connection to some sort of God that I wasn't really in connection to.

    "And I have to say one thing about the mental asylum...really, really not as fun as you think it is. You do have a romantic idea...and it just ends up being sad and smells like s**t. And the other thing was boating.

    "I recently went out on a ship in open water, and I'd read Moby Dick a million times, and it's really not sexy, it's horrible. It's very similar to the mental asylum experience.

    "Have you ever been to a mental asylum? The only thing that defines a 'crazy' person and a 'normal' person...is they're convinced they're sane. Crazy people are convinced they're sane, like, 'I'm the only one that gets it.' It's incredible."

    The 'Hellboy' star has admitted his mental health plummeted when he beat his alcohol addiction but, although he turned to booze, he's never been interested in trying drugs.

    He explained: "I realised that I don't really need them [drugs], that I have a capacity to see the elves in the corners of my room if I really allow myself to go there."

    After he spent some time in the asylum, doctors diagnosed him with bipolar and he's since been on multiple medications to try and balance out the chemicals.

    He said: "That's actually when the drugs came in.

    "I've had a struggle, going on and off the medications.”

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     04 Jul: Scarlett Johansson felt typecast as a sex symbol during her younger years
     04 Jul: Noah Schnapp felt "very sad" at the end of Stranger Things
     04 Jul: Henry Golding thinks Charlize Theron is a "rare commodity in Hollywood"
     04 Jul: Cardi B feels proud of her Whipshots success
     04 Jul: Liam Gallagher has no desire to perform on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage
     04 Jul: Jake Paul wants the "challenge" of fighting Anthony Joshua
     04 Jul: Olivia Rodrigo expressed her "love" for England as she closed the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Former All Black Mils Muliaina believes modern players are far more adaptable between positions than back in his day More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Central Otago's Cardona Hotel is on the market for the first time in more than a decade More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Scarlett Johansson felt typecast as a sex symbol during her younger years 13:36

    Law and Order:
    Police are hunting two men who carried out an armed robbery in Hamilton on Saturday 13:27

    Accident and Emergency:
    A pedestrian's died after being hit by a car near the Manawatu town of Feilding 13:27

    Tennis:
    Reigning champ Carlos Alcaraz admits it's been a crazy first few days at Wimbledon 13:07

    Politics:
    Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now 13:07

    International:
    Diogo Jota crash investigators probe whether speed, burst tyre was factor in Liverpool star's death 13:07

    Entertainment:
    Noah Schnapp felt "very sad" at the end of Stranger Things 13:06

    Rugby:
    Former All Black Mils Muliaina believes modern players are far more adaptable between positions than back in his day 12:37

    Health & Safety:
    ADHD meds are in short supply. Here's why, and what can you do about it 12:37

    Entertainment:
    Henry Golding thinks Charlize Theron is a "rare commodity in Hollywood" 12:36


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd