Long before celebrities shared their private struggles on talk-show couches and social media feeds, actress Patty Duke broke a Hollywood taboo by speaking publicly about her mental health struggles.
Duke, who died Tuesday morning at age 69, was diagnosed with manic depression (now called bipolar disorder) in 1982. Known at the time as the goody-two-shoes child star of "The Miracle Worker" (for which she won a best supporting actress Oscar at 16) and "The Patty Duke Show," Duke revealed revealed a much darker reality in her 1987 memoir, "Call Me Anna," written with L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan. In the book, she graphically detailed her turbulent life, drug and alcohol abuse and childhood mistreatment at the hands of cruel managers.
Read Full Article »