Courtney Love first took drugs at the tender age of four, according to a new book by her mother.

The troubled star's mum, Linda Carroll, claims in 'Her Mother's Daughter' that Courtney was given "magic pills" by her father, Hank, who then proceeded to draw psychedelic doodles all over her body.

Carroll, who eventually took Hank to court to prevent him having unsupervised access to Courtney, also claims her wild daughter was in therapy from the age of six.

According to the book, Courtney started self-harming when she was just 12 after binging on alcohol with a friend one Christmas.

After cutting herself, the young rocker was sent to a treatment centre, where she allegedly had to have her legs taped together to prevent he from kicking in the windows.

Courtney eventually managed to escape and, according to Carroll, ended up living on the streets and dabbling in hard drugs. She was caught and got sent to a youth correctional facility, where she stayed until she was 16.

Carroll says in her book: "Violent mood swings, troubles with attachment, terrible dreams, and a sense of persecution had plagued her all her life."

In August, Courtney was ordered by a judge to attend a drug treatment programme after she admitted violating her parole by using drugs.