Alanis Morissette has revealed the severity of her struggles with postpartum depression, stating that she experienced a state of psychosis and had harrowing, invasive thoughts of death and terrible things following the birth of her third child.

During an interview on the podcast 'Call Her Daddy' with host Alex Cooper, Morissette, 52, discussed the distinctions between general depression and postpartum depression (PPD). She explained that while she was familiar with depression, the accompanying symptoms in PPD were what she found most challenging.

"It was the invasive thoughts and the terror. All I could picture was death and terrible things," Morissette said. She described feeling like she had "dipped into psychosis" and that it was a "wild ride."

Morissette, who shares children Ever, 15, Onyx, 10, and Winter, 7, with husband Mario 'Souleye' Treadaway, noted that the experience made people view her differently. "They looked at me like I maybe couldn’t be trusted or was going to fly off the handle," she recalled.

She elaborated on the profound impact the condition had, stating, "Basically, I became another person." Morissette attributed this to hormonal shifts and what she described as "menopausal flux, combined with depression, invasive thoughts that are so harrowing, terrible, ceaseless."

Morissette has experienced PPD with each of her pregnancies but noted that it does not become easier over time. "From my experience, each postpartum depression gets increasingly harder," she admitted. Despite the difficulty, she expressed a strong desire to connect with her children, which motivated her to persevere.

She recounted pushing through tour dates during the COVID-19 pandemic while secretly struggling, feeling "completely out of control."

Morissette shared that her timeline for seeking help has shortened with each child. "First time, I waited a year and two months," she said. "Second time I waited eight months. And third time, I think I waited three days. I was just like, ‘Oh no, I’m not doing this again.’ And I did it again."

Because of the diverse and often severe nature of the symptoms, Morissette suggested using the term "postpartum activity" as it may encompass more than just depression.

According to the Mayo Clinic and Postpartum Progress, PPD is part of a group of illnesses known as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Symptoms can include difficulty bonding with the baby, anger or rage, sadness, crying spells, feeling overwhelmed, or thoughts of self-harm or escape.