9 Famous Moms Who Struggled with Postpartum Depression

Having a baby is supposed to be a magical time of love and bonding, but for some women, the birth process triggers a hormonal tailspin of overwhelm. Knowing you’re “supposed” to glow and feel blissful conflicts with the feelings of despair, and further compounds the emotional struggle. The inherent stress and sleep deprivation of being a new mother doesn’t help, either. Postpartum depression is a very real and scary disorder that effects 10 to 15 percent of women to varying degrees, and celebrities are not immune. Here are 9 famous moms who have been afflicted by postpartum depression after giving birth to their bundles of joy. Their candid confessions are helping to break down the misconceptions and stigmas surrounding PPD.

1. Hayden Panettiere

Talk about art reflecting life. Both the actress Hayden Panettiere and her Nashville character, Juliet Barnes, are currently suffering from PPD. Panettier and her boxer fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, had a daughter named Kaya in December 2014, and she has been quite open about her struggles. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding. There’s a lot of people out there that think that it’s not real, that it’s not true. That it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that, ‘Oh, it’s hormones.’ They brush it off,” she said in a recent television interview. “It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.” Just recently, the actress voluntarily checked into a treatment facility to help her cope with the condition.