Chrissy Teigen is known for being hilarious, sassy and generally upbeat -- which is why her latest essay
[for Glamour magazine] about her struggle with postpartum depression was a shock for many.
"Let me start here: To a lot of you, I think, I seem like the happiest person on the planet," Teigen writes. "And a year ago, in April, John and I started our family together. We had our daughter, Luna, who is perfect. She is somehow exactly me, exactly John, and exactly herself. I adore her.I had everything I needed to be happy. And yet, for much of the last year, I felt unhappy. I blamed it on being tired and possibly growing out of the role: 'Maybe I’m just not a goofy person anymore. Maybe I’m just supposed to be a mom.'"
After months of lethargy, lack of appetite, physical pain and "spontaneous crying," Chrissy consulted her doctor with husband John Legend by her side.
"My doctor pulled out a book and started listing symptoms. And I was like, 'Yep, yep, yep.' I got my diagnosis: postpartum depression and anxiety. (The anxiety explains some of my physical symptoms.)"
"I’m speaking up now because I want people to know it can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone. I also don’t want to pretend like I know everything about postpartum depression, because it can be different for everybody. But one thing I do know is that—for me—just merely being open about it helps. This has become my open letter," Teigen continued.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, postpartum depression is a condition that affects one in nine women.
As Chrissy notes in her essay, symptoms can vary.
Consult your physician for information on diagnosis and treatment.