Dina Lohan appears uneasy in 'Dr. Phil' interview

Dina Lohan, the mother and manager of Lindsay Lohan, sparred with Dr. Phil McGraw on his syndicated interview show "Dr. Phil" Monday, appearing tearful and uneasy as the psychologist accused her of not answering his questions.

"You have come on here and been phony and inauthentic with these deflections and dodges," he told her at one point, to which she responded, "You're going dark and deep and that's hard."

"I was told that you wanted to sit down and set the record straight about what the media believes about you . . . and let people know who you really are," he said later. "And I think you've chosen not to do that. You're giving me buzzword sound bites."

"I've just been so interviewed so much that I'm a little guarded," she explained. "Way guarded."

The interview did yield some insights, as when Lohan, who turned 50 on Saturday, said she had attended therapy to deal with what she called abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Michael. "I used to hide in closets. Lindsay and I went through a lot."

Michael Lohan, speaking later with McGraw via satellite from Florida, admitted one instance of striking Dina, saying: "The first couple of months of our marriage I had gone out with my friends once and I came in late at 2 o'clock [in the morning]. I had been drinking and when I walked in the door I met an ice tray against the side of my head and as a reaction, yes, I did swing and I hit Dina. And I did give her a bruise. That's the only time I ever, ever hit Dina in my life."

McGraw asked Michael if Dina's erratic behavior during the interview had been typical. "You want my professional opinion as a drug interventionist?" Michael responded. "She needs help. She needs to get into a rehab. Because she is certainly not of sound mind in this interview."

SEE PHOTOSDina Lohan

Dina Lohan did not immediately respond to a Newsday request for comment. She told TMZ.com, "I don't care what it looks like. I'm fine and I don't care what anyone says . . . Of course they cut it to make it interesting. That's their job. I don't blame them for doing that. Some of the comments were taken out of context but I'm fine. I'm fine."