Gabrielle Anwar has revealed she experienced "violent rages" as a result of her unmedicated bipolar disorder.

The Burn Notice actress admitted she once punched her husband in the face, opening up about resisting taking medication for her illness in a frank personal essay.

"For years, I resisted medication," Gabrielle, 54, reflected in an "as told to" essay in Business Insider.

"I was vegan, holistic, and saw pharmaceuticals as a flaw, something shameful. And honestly, I didn't want to lose the highs of mania; they made me feel powerful."

Having experienced manic episodes since childhood, for a long time, Gabrielle was unaware that her illness had a name.

"By the time I hit adolescence, I was emotionally unstable," she recalled. "I believe I had my first manic episode around age 11 when I started menstruating. I was expelled from school and deeply ashamed."

After receiving a diagnosis, not treating her symptoms led to drastic crashes.

"The lows were unbearable," Gabrielle continued. "I experienced violent rages that frightened the people I loved. I once punched my now-husband in the face twice during an episode early in our relationship. I thought he'd walk away. Instead, he stayed. He loved all of me, even the broken parts."

Gabrielle, now a mother to three and a grandmother to one, is married to businessman Shareef Malnik, 67.

She explained it was a long time before she was able to achieve a sense of emotional stability.

"It took until my 40s to find the right medication, the right brand, dosage, and combination," Gabrielle shared. "It was a process; healing doesn't happen overnight."