Lindsay Lohan Not as Crazy (or Addicted) as Thought, Deemed "Physically, Mentally Healthy"

Report indicates that rehabbing starlet may have been misdiagnosed with ADHD and that resulting unnecessary prescriptions sparked her manic behavior

By Gina Serpe, Whitney English Aug 21, 2010 12:45 AMTags
Lindsay LohanPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan could be considered the victim of a lot of things: Hollywood, ego, addiction, you name it.

We just never thought a misdiagnosis would be included in that list. But that, it seems, may have been exactly what sparked (or at least kept going) LiLo's downward spiral.

It's no secret that Lindsay's days in the UCLA Medical Center are numbered, and that her impending release was preceded this month by a judge swap and this week by the prosecution's admission that it would not be opposed to such an early springing.

Which begs the question, why?

For the time being, Lohan's lawyer is keeping her comments cagey, but Shawn Chapman Holley did confirm to E! News that her client apparently has a clean bill of health.

"The assessment of Lindsay's treatment team is confidential information," she said. "I will say, however, that she is physically and mentally healthy."

While she wouldn't address specific speculation about Lindsay's medical concerns, her comments—and LiLo's impending release—seem to corroborate a TMZ report claiming that Lohan was initially misdiagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and wrongly prescribed Adderall.

Dr. John Sharp, a neuropsychiatrist on the faculty at UCLA and Harvard, explains to E! News   that the effects of improper Adderall use could drive one off the rails.

"Someone who doesn't have ADHD who is prescribed Adderall is likely to have problems," says Sharp, who is not involved with Lohan's case but has treated many clients (including celebrities) with substance abuse and mood disorders.

"Adderall is a very close cousin of methamphetamine," continues Sharp. "When you're taking enough of it, you're getting a reaction which is virtually identical to the effect of meth. That's why it's dangerous."

"They can destabilize you and make you more prone to mood swings...They make a person more likely to partake in other extravagances," says Sharp. "If someone is prone to spend a lot of money, they would spend more money. If someone has a little bit of a problem with self-medicating and drinking, they could likely do more of that."

Lucky for Lohan, Sharp says Adderall treatment is easy to discontinue with assistance from professionals.

"I think if she's being seen frequently by people who really understand what's going on and she knows she needs to get off it, you can basically taper down off of any dose safely," says Sharp. "She seems to be cooperating in a comprehensive care...and it doesn't seem to be a problem. I think it's good news."

With bombshells like this potentially on the horizon, that $1 million interview bounty doesn't seem so crazy after all. Ah, who are we kidding? Yes it does.

(Originally published Aug. 20, 2010, at 2:11 p.m.)

Not caught up on your LiLo news? Get everything we have on Lindsay Lohan.