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Alanis Morissette talks about post-natal depression

Aug 22, 2012, 21:02 GMT

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette wants to 'eradicate the shame around' post-natal depression.

The 'Ironic' hitmaker admits she suffered from the illness following the birth of her son, Ever, in December 2010, and says she has spoken out about it as she doesn't want other women to feel embarrassed about it.

She told ET Canada: 'I just thought it was a swampy chapter, if I soldiered it out, that it would go away. I came to realise that the longer I waited, the more intense it would become.

'I think if there is any goal in me talking about it, it would be to it. It's just what happens sometimes and, for me, I just waited way too long to reach out for help.'

As well as suffering from post-natal depression, Alanis recently revealed she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the early part of her career.

The 38-year-old singer shot to fame when she was 20 with her hit album 'Jagged Little Pill' - which was released in 1995 and has sold over 33 million copies worldwide - but she found the fame which came with it particularly overwhelming and she still sometimes struggles to cope.

She said: 'I still have PTSD from the 'Jagged Little Pill' era. It was a profound violation. It felt like every millisecond I was attempting to set a boundary and say no and people were breaking into my hotel rooms and going through my suitcase and pulling my hair and jumping on my car.

'There was a period of time during the 'Jagged Little Pill' era where I don't think I laughed for about two years. It was a survival mode, you know. It was an intense, constant, chronic over-stimulation and invasion of energetic and physical literal space.'