Hayden Panettiere Speaks Out About Her Experience With Postpartum Depression

Hayden Panettiere has a powerful message for those who claim that postpartum depression isn't real. "It's like you have no idea what you're talking about," the 26-year-old actress told Yahoo! Style in a recent interview. "If you think for one second that a mother wants to feel that way toward her child, you're outta your mind. It is one of the most debilitating, scary, guilty feelings that you can ever feel."

Read: Drew Barrymore Just Opened Up About Her Postpartum Depression

Panettiere first shared her experience with postpartum depression back in September, when she appeared on Live! with Kelly and Michael and said, "It's something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they're not alone, and that it does heal."

In her interview with Yahoo! Style this week, Panettiere said that opening up about her experience earned her more support than she expected. "The more open I was, the more acceptance I got from people," she said. "I got so much support and so much love. I was floored. I feel much more exposed, yes, but in a great way."

Panettiere is not the only celebrity mom who has spoken publicly about postpartum depression; Brooke Shields wrote a memoir, published in 2006, about her experience with postpartum depression and clashed with fellow celeb Tom Cruise, who criticized her use of prescription antidepressants.