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'Medium' Muse Allison DuBois 'Got So Depressed' When Show Debuted

"It was very hard to live in that dark place for so long."
Lisa Capretto

Most people familiar with Allison DuBois know her as the real-life inspiration for the hit show "Medium," which told the story of the Arizona mom who could communicate with the dead. But long before "Medium" ever came to television, Allison was known only by a slew of law enforcement officials and open-minded detectives who believed her abilities as a medium could help them ultimately solve crimes.

For years, Allison says she assisted in murder investigations and missing persons cases in an effort to uncover pieces of information that had been elusive through more orthodox channels. As she tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", working with the police in this capacity has had its ups and downs.

"I'll get an open-minded detective who will have a boss who isn't open-minded. It's political. There's a lot of checks and balances involved," she says.

For a psychic medium, however, the work tends to transcend those types of parameters, which creates a challenging environment in which Allison must operate. "With what I want to do, I just want to do it," she says. "I just want to give you my information... I don't like having to jump through all the hoops of the bureaucracy of it."

While Allison was using her abilities to assist with police efforts, "Medium" made its debut. That's when the rest of the country began to take notice to Allison's work.

"It was like a never-ending avalanche of people wanting me to work the murders," she says.

This influx of requests and traumatic cases soon took an emotional toll. "I got to a point where I got so depressed," Allison says. "It was very hard to live in that dark place for so long."

Feeling like she was becoming a bit lost, Allison recognized that she needed to step back from working so much and reconnect to her true self.

"I just needed a break so that I could get back to who I was," she says.

Allison opens up more about her current work as a medium, how she really felt when the show ended and what it's like to connect with the dead, all on this weekend's episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", airing Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

For more from "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", visit wherearetheynow.buzz.

More from Oprah.com:

What really happens when you visit a (famous) psychic

4 psychic mediums on the secrets of the afterlife

Billy Bob Thornton on growing up with a psychic mom

Also on HuffPost:

Psychics on TV
John Edward(01 of06)
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John Edward, produced and hosted "Crossing Over With John Edward" and "John Edward Cross Country," in which he connected people with loved ones who have passed on. He has sold 2.4 million copies of his books, which include several New York Times best sellers, according to his website. Edward was raised on Long Island, New York, where he still lives with his wife and children. (credit:Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images)
Theresa Caputo(02 of06)
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What is it with New York and psychics? TLC features Theresa Caputo in its program "Long Island Medium." Caputo told Entertainment Weekly: "I've seen spirits since the age of four. I thought it was normal until I hit my teenage years and and sharing things with my friends and they said 'that's not normal.' In my family it was normal, but to my friends it wasn't. I started suffering from anxieties. In my late twenties I went to a spiritual healer and that's when she told me was that a spirit was trying to communicate with me and that's what caused a lot of my anxiety and aliments." (credit:TLC)
The Mentalist(03 of06)
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"The Mentalist" stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who solves crime by using his uncanny observation skills. Before he joined the CBI, Jane enjoyed minor celebrity for his psychic gifts, which were faked. (credit:Jaimie Trueblood, Warner Bros. Television)
Psych(04 of06)
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James Roday also plays a fake psychic and police consultant -- Shawn Spencer -- in the USA Network comedy/mystery series "Psych", which also stars Dulé Hill as Shawn's best friend and reluctant partner Burton "Gus" Guster, and Corbin Bernsen (of L.A. Law fame) as Shawn's father, Henry. It premiered in 2006 and still airs Fridays at 10pm EST/9pm CST. (credit:USA)
Ghost Whisperer(05 of06)
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Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt attends the "Ghost Whisperer" 100th espisode celebration at XIV in March 2010 in West Hollywood, California. The series ran from 2005 to 2010. Love Hewitt played Melinda Gordon, a married antique store owner who can see and communicate with ghosts. She helped the spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the light (or the spirit world). (credit:Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images)
Medium(06 of06)
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Patricia Arquette, pictured here at last year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, played Allison DuBois, a mother of three who also works for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney, in the show "Medium." It ran from 2005 to 2011 (one year on NBC and the rest on CBS), according to IMDb.com. She talks to ghosts, sees the dead and can see past events in her dreams (or nightmares). The show was based on the real Allison DuBois, a wife and mother of three who consults with law enforcement agencies in Phoenix. (credit:Getty)

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