A Catatonic Nervous Breakdown
In her early years as a singer, Dusty remained a practicing Catholic, even stopping the tour bus from going to Church or confession. As the ‘60s rolled on, though, Dusty started to lose her faith and began what would be a long struggle with alcoholism, self-harm, and a bipolar disorder diagnosis. By the ‘70s, she moved to California, which only made things worse.
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Not only that, her career soon stalled, leaving her short on cash and without the support network that was so easily available to her back in London. By the early ‘80s, Dusty was near penniless and spent frequent periods in mental hospitals. At one point, she had suffered from a catatonic nervous breakdown and landed in a secure ward at the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York. This is where she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.