Gwyneth Paltrow has talked about her 'painfully debilitating' battle against post natal depression after the birth of her second child, Moses.
Gwyneth, who is married to British rock star Chris Martin, told how she had expected to feel 'euphoric' after giving birth – just as she had done after her first child, Apple, was born in 2004.
But when Moses was born only 23 months later, the feelings she felt were the extreme opposite.
The actress made her comments in her weekly newsletter, Goop, which she sends out via the internet. She wrote: 'When Moses came into the world in 2006, I expected to have another period of euphoria following his birth.... Instead, I was confronted with one of the darkest and most painfully debilitating chapters in my life.
'For about five months I had, what I can see in hindsight as post-natal depression, and since that time, I have wanted to know more about it.
'[This is] not only from a hormonal and scientific standpoint, and why so many of us experience it, but from the perspective of other women who have gone through it.
Figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists show that one in 10 women suffers from post natal depression. It usually strikes between one and six months after giving birth. Often there is no obvious reason for the depression, but symptoms can include loss of appetite, feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and afraid of being alone with the baby.