07.20.09 ‘A SUICIDAL, UNINSURABLE MESS’

Mischa Barton — the “O.C.” alumna who will star in the CW’s “The Beautiful Life” this fall — was taken to the hospital last week amid a swirl of rumors about her health and sanity.  And it doesn’t look like those rumors will stop any time soon, because the New York Post has the awesomest story about a three-day coke binge and a life falling apart that you’ll read today.

Barton was so high on coke following a marathon three-day bender that friends called cops afraid she would kill herself, sources have told The Post.

Barton, 23, was taken away from her LA home by police and placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold on Wednesday. The party-loving former “O.C” star was due to fly to New York for the premiere of her movie “Homecoming,” which has been slammed by critics.

A source close to Barton said, “She’s in very bad shape. She’s running out of money and can’t find love, so now she is looking for a good time to escape her misery. She is on a downward spiral. She is a mess. She is a suicidal, uninsurable mess.”

Photographed Tuesday at an LA hotel, the once-skinny Barton [note: not a recent picture] looked bloated and almost unrecognizable. A guest at the hotel said Barton seemed to be stumbling around poolside and at one point was topless…

Her publicist, Craig Schneider, released a statement yesterday confirming that the actress remains in the hospital under doctor’s orders. Under Section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code, authorities can hold a person for up to 72 hours if they present a danger to themselves or others.

Meanwhile, a rep for Barton told OK Magazine that the allegations of a three-day coke bender were “preposterous.”  And I’m just going to go ahead and assume that “preposterous” has a secondary definition that means “entirely believable.”  Whatever the case is, one thing’s for certain: “The Beautiful Life” is going to be a fabulous disaster.  Which is saying a lot.  It’s not easy for a show on the CW to stand out for sucking.