( CNN ) -- Life after `` The O.C . '' has been rocky , to say the least , for Mischa Barton . The 27-year-old actress was one of the hottest TV stars out about a decade ago , but since her reign as `` The O.C . 's '' Marissa Cooper , Barton has had a `` full-on breakdown , '' she tells People magazine in its new issue . The actress recounted how , in July 2009 , her parents and agents confronted her with their concern that she was working too hard and partying even harder . During the intervention , Barton blacked out and was sent to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles . Along the way , she threatened to kill herself , which prompted her being sent to a psychiatric ward for four days . `` It was a full-on breakdown , '' Barton said . `` It was terrifying . Straight out of 'Girl , Interrupted . ' Story of my life . '' The actress said she was never actually suicidal , just `` overworked and depressed . But one slip of the tongue in a heightened moment , and you find yourself in that situation . '' Yet that situation also allowed her to gain some clarity about her life , she told the magazine . `` I was deeply hurt at first , '' Barton recalled , `` and then I accepted this was time I needed to be away from work , my family and all the pressure . I had been through the wringer . '' The star also opened up about coping with the public 's scrutiny of her weight : `` It was always , 'She 's too skinny , she must be sick . ' Then it was , 'She 's too big . ' I was never the right weight . '' Born in London , Barton landed the role of Cooper on the Fox prime-time soap when she was 16 . It seemed that overnight , she and her parents , who also hail from the United Kingdom , were thrown into `` this situation that was completely foreign , '' she said . `` Nothing could prepare ( my parents ) to have their children jump into the overtly sexualized and crazy world of L.A. ... It was a train I could not get off of . When you 're young , you can do it , but after a while , it 's going to come crashing down on you . '' But Barton did eventually exit that fast life , and she headed to Paris to recuperate . `` I needed to be on my own and get healthy , '' Barton said . `` I just try to be balanced . ... I needed to take this time for me . ... I 've learned a lot . I 'm stronger now , and I 'm excited for what 's ahead . ''
Mischa Barton says she had a `` full-on breakdown '' after `` The O.C . '' She was in tears and said that her husband is not the same person he used to be. '' Barton has since recovered after spending time in Paris , she says . Now , Barton says , she is stronger and focused on being more balanced .