Mischa Barton has blasted tabloid critics for convincing people she has "lost her marbles", insisting her recent health troubles are firmly in her past.

The former The O.C. actress has been forced to assure fans she has fully recovered after she was admitted to a mental health facility in Los Angeles in July. She has since blamed her heavy work schedule and a botched surgery to remove two wisdom teeth for her meltdown.

Barton said, "I was overwhelmed. I had too much work on; I just had surgery on my wisdom teeth that went really badly... They had to drill into my jaw; I was in excruciating pain... It was just too much to have this surgery go so wrong." She admitted she "hit rock bottom" when she was hospitalized but is now "really healthy".

However, the 23 year old claims critics are still trying to portray her as an "unstable" actress - and she's fed up with the reports. She tells OK.co.uk, "One stay in the hospital was turned into this huge, 'She's lost her marbles' thing, and people look at me like I'm unstable and they should probably cross the street when they see me."

And the star is eager to put the whole incident behind her and move forward with her life.

Barton adds, "I just had a bad time of year and now it's all over and done with. I'm just very happy to be feeling happy again and back on top of it and not so worried about everything. It was just too much to handle for me at the time."

- Click here for more Mischa Barton pictures -

Image ©PR Photos

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)