Alanis Morissette Has 3rd Bout of Postpartum Depression

Singer describes the 'compulsive, obsessive thoughts' that come along with it
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 22, 2019 4:32 PM CDT
Alanis Morissette Has 3rd Bout of Postpartum Depression
In this April 25, 2019, file photo, Alanis Morissette performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans.   (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Alanis Morissette gave birth to her third child in August—and, for the third time, the singer is dealing with postpartum depression. She opened up about the struggle in a blog post on her website and an interview on CBS This Morning. "This time around, it's less depression, it's more anxiety and a little more of the compulsive, obsessive thoughts," she tells Mireya Villarreal on CBS. "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 me just having to remind myself, 'Oh no, this is just postpartum depression swooping in again. Stop.'" She says it took her 16 months after the birth of her firstborn in 2010 to realize she was dealing with PPD, and asked a medical professional if she should just "white knuckle" her way through it. The professional said no, and she started medication.

She adds, however, that she never thinks of herself as "cured," noting that for her, PPD tends to last "at least two years, maybe a little longer." However, she never considered not having another baby: "I'd experienced the other side of postpartum depression and having this relationship … I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel," she explains. "I'd be willing to go through it again." In her blog post, she ponders whether PPD plays an evolutionary role: "For those of us who continue pretending to use our cognitive centers well post partum—those of us who continue to work or continue to 'seem fine' and manage so much, ... or are isolated to the point where we need to pretend to function 'normally' during a time where nothing is 'normal' … we are moving counter to what our bodies—and nature—intend." ETOnline notes that her and husband Mario "Souleye" Treadway's older kids are ages 8 and 2. (More Alanis Morissette stories.)

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