Lark Voorhies: Understanding Bipolar Disorder

According to multiple websites, in December 2014, Lark captioned the above left image with “Pray for me,” although she has since changed the caption. Her friends responded by letting her know that they would indeed be keeping her in their thoughts.

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“Sending you prayers! Take care of yourself,” one person wrote. “My prayers go out to you,” another friend wrote.

Former “Saved By The Bell” star Lark Voorhies’ mother claimed her daughter is “mentally ill,” but the actress and producer is speaking out to deny the claims.

In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” the 38-year-old responded to the allegations, sharing “I have no worries myself, nor do I exude, exhibit or possess within my living stratus any reason why someone should worry [on] my behalf. … It’s completely fictional.” But Voorhies’ mother, Tricia, told another story saying that her daughter was battling bipolar disorder. She explains, “There are things that have traumatized her. I care deeply about my daughter and I want her to resume her life.”

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Tricia lives with her daughter, and at the time the interview aired, Voorhees brushed off her mother’s concerns by saying that she isn’t sick and her mother was “over-loving.”

Reports that Voorhees was dealing with mental illness began after she exhibited strange behavior during a Yahoo interview in May of 2012. In a series of interviews, she’s described as mumbling to herself and abruptly stopping what she was saying. There was even one interview where the actress struggles to create coherent sentences, and when asked how she stays strong, Voorhies replied:

“It’s much like fighting … when you enlist in the Army, you get yourself physically fit, mentally fit and informational-wise fit, so it’s just the same. It’s like stage boot camp. You know, you put all the right elements together and you keep them going … we have to be entertainers. This is our particular angle.”

But do disjointed sentences mean that you are bipolar?? Here are some symptoms of being bipolar:

Inability to complete tasks
Having a house full of half-completed projects is a hallmark of bipolar disorder. People who can harness their energy when they are in a hypomanic phase can be really productive.

Irritability
Some people with this condition suffer from “mixed mania,” where they experience symptoms of mania and depression at the same time. During this state, they are often extremely irritable.

READ: What’s The Difference Between Bipolar Disorder & Depression?

Rapid speech
Some people are naturally talkative; we all know a motormouth or Chatty Cathy. But “pressured speech” is one of the most common symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Sleep problems
People with this condition often have sleep problems. During a depression phase, they may sleep too much and feel tired all the time.

Visit the BlackDoctor.org Bipolor Disorder center for more articles and information.