Star has a truly bizarre story about “Grey’s Anatomy” star Justin Chambers engaging in some really questionable behavior at a bar recently. A few months ago - around the same time Britney Spears was hospitalized for her myriad of mental issues - Chambers made a statement that he was suffering from a severe sleep disorder and had checked himself into the same UCLA psych ward as Spears. It was assumed that he’d only informed the press since Spears was around, which increased his likelihood of somehow being discovered in a psych ward. Were it not for Britney, I doubt anyone would ever have noticed. It seems that Chambers was making a preemptive strike and letting reporters know why he was there. But something about the whole thing seemed a little off. Now Star has a story that either verifies that Chambers has some severe sleep issues, or makes you wonder if he’s got some other problems going on.

…when a Star eyewitness saw the married father of five 26 days after he was treated — at the Village Pub in tony Palm Springs, Calif. — sleep didn’t seem to be a problem as he drifted in and out of consciousness (at the bar!), rambled incoherently, annoyed patrons and even hit on a waitress!

“Everyone thought Justin was drunk because he kept passing out at his table,” the eyewitness tells Star. “But when I asked the bartender what they’d been serving him, she swore it was only non-alcoholic beer! He was acting as if he was on drugs, like some kind of downers. His eyes were glazed over. He slurred his words and staggered when he tried to walk,” the eyewitness added. “At one point, he was hunched over a table, then abruptly woke up and shouted out of the blue, ‘I am a father of five kids! I am a damn good father! Leave me alone!’ It was really unsettling.”

And that’s not all! Justin, who was without his wife Keisha, began hitting on a waitress! When she showed no interest, he slapped money out of her hand. “As she picked it up off the floor, he said, ‘That’s right, bitch, that’s where you belong. Pick up the money!’”

[From Star]

This story could legitimately make a person think, “Wow, he’s clearly got other issues and that sleep disorder thing was just a cover,” or it could make you say, “Wow, that sleep disorder is clearly not under control yet.” Lots of prescription sleep medications could explain a good deal of Chamber’s behavior (though the thing with the waitress is pretty hard to account for), and the sleep disorder itself could be the cause of Chambers’ nodding off. A ton of sleeping pills have the side effect of daytime sleepiness. But many of the things Chambers supposedly said seem pretty odd, unless he was so groggy and out of it that he just didn’t know what was coming out of his mouth. If any of this is attributable to the sleep disorder or medication for it, you’d think his wife would have kept him home. Which makes you wonder what’s really going on with the guy.

Update by Celebitchy: People has a new story that Chambers will open up in their new issue about his sleep disorder, calling it “a biological sleep disorder. Your mind keeps racing, and your body is tired. It wants to go to sleep, but it can’t.” If he is on Ambien it could potentially explain his behavior at the bar. My husband used to take it and he would stay up at night and do things like make a sandwich or get online and completely forget about it the next day, asking me if I was the one who left the dishes out.

Here’s Justin Chambers at the Enchanted World Premiere on 11/17/07. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Like many parents, I like to joke that I want to book myself into a psychiatric hospital and get a break from my kids – and it seems that I’m not alone. Grey’s Anatomy star and father of five Justin Chambers (he plays Alex, for those of you who don’t watch it) has booked himself into UCLA psych ward this week for treatment of a sleep disorder.

Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev on the ABC drama, checked into the facility on Tuesday, before promptly checking himself out the following day.

Chambers, 37, who is married with five children aged under 10, went in voluntarily, according to his publicist.

“[He is] exhausted and suffers from a sleeping disorder,” the rep said.

Celebrity Truth

Justin was only in for a short, unspecified amount of time earlier in the week, and missed the drama that must have been last nights admission (oh, you all know who I’m talking about!)

If reports in the New Zealand Herald are to be believed, than it was not necessarily the best place to get some sleep. They say that the hospital has all patients on 24 hour supervision, and that patients can be “quite agitated and screams being heard all hours of the night.”

That seems like a pretty scary place to be. The only psych ward I have ever visited was quiet and pleasant, with patients playing ping pong and watching the Today show. Although I think that people who need to be restrained are usually in a medical ward until they are calm in some hospital systems. Possibly it depends on where a bed is available.

I hope Justin had some good rest, and is ready to tackle the demands of a large family again.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Justin Chambers is shown at the Enchanted World Premiere on 11/17/07, thanks to PRPhotos.