'Stranger Things' star David Harbour reveals he was sent to a mental asylum before bipolar diagnosis

"Stranger Things" star David Harbour spoke candidly for the first time about his ongoing battle with mental illness, and revealed he was admitted to an asylum as a child. (AP)

David Harbour spoke candidly for the first time about his ongoing battle with mental illness on comedian Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast on Monday.

The 43-year-old revealed he was sent to a mental asylum by his parents as a child and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was just 25 years old.

“I was actually ­­– by my parents – taken to a mental asylum,” Harbour told Maron. “I have one thing to say about the mental asylum. I’ve romanticized two things in my life and both have fallen short.

"[It’s] “Really not as fun as you think it is,” Harbour said about his time in the asylum. “No, but you do have a romantic idea of it – [like] 'you're a genius' – and it just ends up being sad and smells like s---."

Harbour continued, "And the other thing was boating. I just recently went out on a ship in open water and I'd read 'Moby Dick' a million times and it really is not as sexy. It's very similar to the mental asylum experience."

The Netflix star continued his free-flowing conversation and discussed his bipolar diagnosis and subsequent drug use.

STARS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

“And then I was diagnosed bipolar. And that's actually when the drugs came in,” Harbour said. “I've been medicated bipolar for a long time. And I've had problems going on and off. I've had a struggle. Going on and off the medications."

Harbour jested that if he ever took the time to write a self-help book, “It's going to be like 'sit on the couch and play some video games.’”

Harbour added jokingly, “You let your mind go you're like a few days shy of walking down the street wearing robes.”

'No joke,' Harbour said. 'Like 'Come join me!'