Drew Barrymore Details Being 'Institutionalized' By Her Mom In ‘Child Star’

Throughout her career, Drew Barrymore has been vocal about the complexities of her relationship with her parents, who split in 1984.

Since gaining fame at just seven years old, she has shared her personal journey through several memoirs, including "Little Girl Lost" and "Wildflower," both of which recount her struggles with addiction during her teenage years.

In Demi Lovato's new documentary, "Child Star," Drew Barrymore opened up once again about her younger years and how she was "institutionalized" by her mom.

Drew Barrymore Opens Up About Her Younger Years In 'Child Star'

When speaking to Demi Lovato in the new documentary "Child Star," Drew Barrymore detailed how she was "institutionalized" by her mom.

Drew's father wasn't in the picture from the time she was very young, leaving her mom to raise a young child alone. Ever since filming her very first commercial as a baby, Drew said she has worked "non-stop" except for the short period of time when her mom had her "institutionalized," something she has previously opened up about.

"I was in a place for a year and a half called Van Nuys Psychiatric and you couldn't mess around in there," she shared on "The Howard Stern Show" a few years ago. "If you did, you'd get thrown either in the padded room or get put in stretcher restraints and tied up."

Drew Barrymore Says She Worked Since A Young

During a candid interview with Demi for her documentary, "Child Star," Drew opened up further about that period of time in her life.

"It was a Gainsberg puppy chow commercial, and I never stopped working since then, except for when I was institutionalized by my mother," she told Demi, adding that her mom was a waitress and that's how she met her dad, who "was so cool that he was lethally deadly cool."

"[He was] toxically cool, and I think she knew she needed to get away from him," Drew added. "He was dangerous, he was on a lot of drugs," and her mom ended up leaving and becoming a "single mom raising a baby in 1975 with no money."

Drew Barrymore Says Steven Spielberg Stepped Into A Father Role For Her

While she starred in a few small projects early on in her life, the pivotal role for Drew was "E.T."

"Steven Spielberg changed my life," she told Demi. "Steven went out of his way to make 'E.T.' real for me."

"He was also the first person I felt embarrassed in front of," she added. "If I behaved badly, or if I was caught drinking, there was no authority in my life, so I loved any boundary he set for me."

Drew Barrymore Recalls Rebellious Teenage Years

A few years ago, the actress shared specific details of when she went into a "psychiatric ward" when she was 13 years old, claiming it was because of her rebellious attitude.

"I was going to clubs and not going to school and stealing my mom's car and, you know, I was out of control," she shared, per People. "So, you know, sometimes it was as humorous as that and sometimes I was just so angry that I would go off and then I'd get thrown in 'the thing.'"

"The thing" was a "full psychiatric ward" where she spent 18 months.

"I asked myself like why is this happening? And I thought, maybe you need the craziest form of structure because everything was so accessible available and screwed up in your world that maybe it's going to take something like this for you to kickstart the rest of your life," she added. "And that didn't come for probably about six to eight months. For the first six to eight months I was just so angry. I couldn't see straight."

Drew Barrymore Now Has A Greater Understanding Of Why She Was Committed

Reflecting on the experience, Drew shared that she now has a deeper understanding of her mother's choice to have her committed.

"I think after, you know, 30, years of therapy, and a lot of soul-searching and having kids myself, you know, I think she created a monster," she said, per E! News. "And she didn't know what to do with the monster."

"She probably felt like she had nowhere to turn," the. actress added. "And I'm sure she lived with a lot of guilt for years, about creating the monster but then I think she lived in a lot of pain that I also wouldn't talk to her for a long time."

"Child Star" is now streaming on Hulu.