Our favorite stars get depressed too. Just because we see them smiling on screen all the time, it does not mean they are not going through tough times. Remember, they're humans, too! Just recently, singer Alanis Morissette was on the news headlines following her revelation that she also struggled with postpartum depression. In a candid essay the artist wrote on her website, she confessed having dealt with postpartum for the third time following her third time to give birth to her son in August.
Morissette told CBS News she's experiencing the symptoms of postpartum such as "sleep deprivation, fogginess, isolation, physical pain, and anxiety." She also said a lot of women are not getting enough emotional help after giving birth. Not her first-time encounter with this behavioral change after death, this 45-year-old artist shared, this time around, her postpartum is less depression and more anxiety. This time too, Morissette shared "a little more of the compulsive, obsessive thought."
Seeing Horrifying Images
As the artist continued talking about her postpartum, CBC also learned that what she meant when she said she sees horrifying images. In this online news site, she elaborated, "I mean images that are horrifying, just a lot of times, about safety, about the people you love, your loved ones, your children." And then she realizes she also sees herself as a horrifying image and that she just had to remind herself that what she's feeling is just a postpartum depression that's happening again and it has to stop.
This award-winning music artist first discovered that she had postpartum depression 16 months after she gave birth to her eldest child in 2010. There are moments, though, Morissette confesses when she thinks it's going to be easy. However, the female singer admitted she doesn't think of it in terms of cured since she knows that postpartum is not something that lasts for just a week.
Postpartum Signs and Symptoms
According to Mayo Clinic, postpartum depression is not a character weakness or flaw. Sometimes, this type of depression is merely a complication of giving birth. You'll know if you are experiencing postpartum depression if you feel or notice some of these signs: panic attacks or anxiety, uncontrolled sadness or crying, afraid to be left with the baby alone, or lack of interest in the newborn. The American Psychological Association highly suggests that if a person experiences the symptoms for over two weeks, she should already seek help.
At first, postpartum depression may be mistakenly associated with baby blues. However, the signs and symptoms last longer, not to mention, quite more intense. More so, postpartum depression may eventually affect an individual's ability to manage her daily tasks. Typically, the symptoms develop within the first few weeks from giving birth. However, to some, it may begin earlier (or later) during pregnancy up to one year after giving birth.
Like Morissette, there are other celebrity moms, too, who had their share of postpartum depression. These include supermodel Behati Prinsloo, actresses Brooke Shields, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and singer Adele, to name a few. They have inspired us as they bravely break their silence to share about their postpartum depression in public.
