David Harbour shares his experiences with “intense psychotherapy” as part of his mental health journey.
David Harbour discusses how he maintains excellent mental health. In fact, the Stranger Things actor, who has been candid about having bipolar disorder, recently described how psychotherapy improved his mental well-being.
“I have been in therapy since I got sober in 1999,” in a recent interview, David informed Future of Personal Health. “When I quit drinking, it forced me to confront a lot of demons that rose to the surface. I was very poor. However, I still was able to work once a week with a [Clinical Social Worker] who put me on a sliding scale.”
However, the 50-year-old didn't start to improve until he learned about psychotherapy, which uses a variety of methods to assist patients in recognizing and altering harmful thought patterns, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
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He continued, “Only recently have I started intense psychotherapy, and it has made a world of difference in my treatment.”
Therefore, he attributes his development not just to the treatment but also to reputable medical specialists.
“I have not had a manic flare-up since I started psychoanalysis with a good therapist,” he replied. “Medication alone is only half the battle. There is not a cure-all formula, there is only hard individual work.”
The actor from Hellboy, who divorced his estranged wife Lily Allen in February 2025, has talked about his past manic episodes.
“Thought becomes disordered and chaotic,” he clarified. “Things that have no meaning became meaningful. Names, numbers and colors acquire a twisted symbolism. There is a fundamental narcissism at the bottom of it all that makes me think I am the center of all things, for good or for ill.”
David added, “My manic episodes are, of course, a manifestation of my own particular psychopathy. They all share those traits, but each episode has been linked to certain fixations I had at the time.”
The Emmy nominee wants others to know that the road to recovery is difficult but worthwhile, even though he has managed to support his mental health requirements.
“I wanted folks to know that although I am living my dreams now, this is not the way it’s always been,” he revealed. “There might be a mother of a child recently diagnosed with a mental illness out there who worried that her child would be an outcast. I wanted to speak to her and to the millions that know and love folks who are suffering.”