Lark Voorhies is best known for playing the cute, loveable, rich teen Lisa Turtle on the NBC sitcom “Saved By the Bell”. She is one of four cast members to be carried over from the original Disney Channel show “Good Morning Miss Bliss”. Since the show, she has appeared in a variety of films but many were left wondering what happened to her in recent years.
After a series of bizarre pictures and video, some begin to question if the once child star was sick, suffering from some disease or even if drugs were at play. There were even on-camera interviews where she would frequently stop mid-sentence and stare off, often mumbling to herself or to others who weren't there.
It was until she appeared on the Dr. Oz show that fans really got an idea of what she was facing: a mental health disorder.
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During her February 2020 appearance on Dr. Oz, Voorhies revealed for the first time that she had been diagnosed with schizoaffective thought disorder, a mental disorder that is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. During that visit, she also admitted she was “hurt” to be excluded from the new series.
It was that experience, she explained, that led her to be contacted about doing a cameo in the Peacock “Saved By the Bell” reboot.
She was invited back after sending a note to Dr. Mehmet Oz about her earlier appearance.
“I have you to thank for the wonderful exposure on your show that contributed to the ‘SBTB’ producers rethinking my value to the production,” she wrote. “It’s always so good to be understood and be able to come home! Yes, ‘SBTB’ is home to me.”
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According to her mother, Tricia, Voorhies has made “so much progress” since February of that year, adding, “it’s been incredible.”
“It was a very exciting,” she said of filming her cameo on the show. “I received a call from Elizabeth Berkley, who plays Jessie. She sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And we had a great time shooting it.”
Tricia admitted it felt “really good” to see her daughter back doing what she loves on the show that made her famous. “This is something that she’s been wanting to do and she’s meant to do this, this is what she knows to do,” said Tricia. “It’s a lovely environment at ‘Saved by the Bell’ with the crew, the cast and crew. Everyone gets along, got along really well.”
Despite the strange interviews, marriages and divorces, and strange sightings over the years before appearing on Dr. Oz, it looks like Lark is doing well for herself lately.
Besides working back in Saved By the Bell reboots, the now 50-year-old Voorhies has also been co-hosting reunion shows and writing novels. Her first book was self-published, titled Reciprocity, it is available on Amazon along with her other releases. It had been noticed that Lark had been looking increasingly unwell when she appeared in person. She confirmed that she has been battling Lupus for the last ten years which may explain some of her more questionable makeup choices in recent years. In spite of this, she has reaffirmed her commitment to her company, her books, and her music.
Dr. Oz said he initially wanted to have Lark on his show two years ago, but "it became evident to my team she was still not well" when they did a pre-interview with her. "The first order of business was to...... get Lark some off-camera support," he said, revealing he hooked her and her mother up with psychiatrist Dr. Modir.
In the Dr. Oz interview, Dr. Modir shared how the stressors of being a teen star, along with relationship trauma, physical health struggles, and other stressors weighed Voorhies down, which probably led to her breakdown.
"I care deeply about my daughter and I want her to resume her life," Tricia says deeply.
READ: Signs of Bipolar Disorder That You Never Knew Existed
During her interview, Dr. Oz asked her to share her official diagnosis.
"Schizoaffective thought disorder and that was a perfect example of what it does and how it behaves and what it creates around and about it," she said, referring to a clip from the ET interview. She added that she has never taken drugs.
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness that can affect your thoughts, mood, and behavior. You may have symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. These symptoms may be mania, depression, and psychosis.
About 1 in 200 people develop the schizoaffective disorder at some time during their life. It tends to develop during early adulthood and is more common in women than men.
Signs and symptoms of schizoaffective disorder include:
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- Hallucinations. You may hear, see, or feel things that aren’t there.
- Delusions. You may believe things that aren’t true.
- Disorganized speech. You may begin to talk quickly or slowly, and the things you say might not make sense to other people. You may switch topics without any obvious link.
- Disorganized behavior. You might struggle to organize your life, or stick to appointments, for example.
- Catatonic behavior. You may feel unable to move or appear to be in a daze.
- Negative symptoms. These are symptoms that involve loss of ability and enjoyment in life. They can include the following things.
- Lack of motivation
- Slow movement
- Change in sleep patterns
- Poor grooming or hygiene
- Difficulty in planning and setting goals
- Not saying much
- Changes in body language
- Lack of eye contact
- Reduced range of emotions
- Less interest in socializing or hobbies and activities
- Low sex drive
Late in 2015, Voorhies wrote a note on social media addressing some rumors.
Titling the note as "Dear Lupus," the note begins with "You came uninvited like the thief you are.
You invaded my body and my life silently and you have no mercy. You have stolen my life's work, my health, my vision of myself.
You tear at my relationships with relentless teeth rending and damaging wherever and whenever you can."
Since then, the actress has deleted any other social media accounts and has consolidated to one Twitter and Instagram accounts.
No matter what, we are praying for her to be and live the best life ever.
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