Alanis Morissette grappled with depression and anxiety for most of her life. By the time she had her eldest son Ever Imre in 2010, she had already practically patented the high-achieving tenacity that allowed her to succeed in the face of internal strife, but this skill made it more difficult for her to understand that, this time, her depression was something else entirely. Postpartum depression, which she experienced after all three of her pregnancies, took her totally by surprise.
"For me, I would just wake up and feel like I was covered in tar and it wasn't the first time I'd experienced depression so I just thought, 'Oh, well, this feels familiar, I'm depressed, I think,'" she told Self. When performing — which historically lifted her mood — didn't help, she knew that she was dealing with something greater. It still took her a "year and four months" to reach out to a doctor.
The next time around, Morissette had a better understanding. When she gave birth to her daughter Onyx, she waited just four months to speak to a doctor. When she had her youngest son Winter, she was confident enough to go on television and talk about her experience, according to The Guardian.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
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