Hayden Panettiere is seeking treatment for postpartum depression, according to a statement from her rep.
Much like her character on Nashville, Panettiere has struggled since giving birth to daughter Kaya with fiancé Wladimir Klitschko last December.
“Hayden Panettiere is voluntarily seeking professional help at a treatment center as she is currently battling postpartum depression,” the actress’ rep confirmed to Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday. “She asks that the media respect her privacy during this time.”
Hayden Panettiere checks into treatment center for postpartum depression—get the details: http://t.co/5Jo7PbZhKE pic.twitter.com/Lj9Xz5KUlz
— E! Online (@eonline) October 13, 2015
Recently, Hayden Panettiere opened up about the struggle that she and many new moms face.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding and 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,” the actress said on Live! with Kelly and Michael in September. “It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”
Panettiere’s character on Nashville has also struggled with postpartum depression, and the actress says the storyline helped her better understand what she was going through in real life.
“What I thought postpartum was, was wanting to cause your child harm. You know, that really severe version of postpartum,” admitted Panettiere. “Now, having had a child, I’ve realized that it can be on quite a large spectrum, and the symptoms don’t have to be as in your face and obvious.”
COMING UP ON @GMA: We look at postpartum depression w/@DrJAshton following news Hayden Panettiere entered treatment pic.twitter.com/UiV2rCP1Tn
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 14, 2015
“I definitely struggled with that a little bit,” Panettiere continued. “I never felt any ill feelings towards my daughter, and never thought, I don’t want to be a mom or this is terrible or anything negative. But, my personality all around was, I wasn’t in a great mode. It’s not a good feeling but women need to know that there are a lot of different kinds and that they’re not alone.”
Can any of you new moms out there relate to Hayden Panettiere‘s real struggle with postpartum depression? Best wishes to Hayden as she courageously deals with this common problem.