Mischa Barton - Barton Emerges After Hospital Stay

Troubled actress MISCHA BARTON has made her first public appearance since she was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold at a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month (Jul09).

The former The O.C. star was placed under the care of doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after reportedly suffering a meltdown and calling cops to her Hollywood home.

She was released over the weekend (25-26Jul09) after a week of treatment, with her representative insisting the 23 year old is preparing to get back to work.

And now the star has proved she is ready to move on from the incident.

Barton was pictured looking happy and healthy as she smiled and waved to photographers outside L.A.'s LAX Airport on Tuesday (28Jul09) before catching a flight to New York, where she is due to begin filming new her TV show The Beautiful Life.

Shooting on the programme, created by Ashton Kutcher, was initially reported to have been delayed by Barton's hospitalisation, but bosses at The CW network insisted the hold-up was the result of unfinished sets.

Barton, 23, is set to play Sonja Stone, a catwalk beauty addicted to pills, on new show, which is tentatively scheduled to start filming on 31 July (09).