Patty Duke is best known for her roles as identical twin cousins in The Patty Duke Show and her portrayal of Helen Keller in the movie The Miracle Worker at age 16, which earned her an Academy Award and made her the youngest winner at the time. She’s earned three Emmys from six nominations, two Golden Globes, and a People’s Choice Award during her career.

But behind the scenes, her behavior was erratic, earning her a bad rep with Hollywood insiders, not to mention her own family.

It took many years, but in 1982, at the age of 35, Duke was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then she’s become the bestselling author of Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness (coauthored with Gloria Hochman). She currently travels around the country to educate others about this often devastating disorder.

Read the full interview here on Everyday Health.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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An Interview with Patty Duke, Bipolar Sufferer | ok (12/19/2007)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 19 Dec 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.