Sinead O’Connor has opened up about her struggle with mental illness in an emotional interview with Dr. Phil — her first appearance on TV since a harrowing video where she hinted at having suicidal thoughts went viral.
The video, which the singer posted on her Facebook page last month, saw her talk about her problems and address her relatives, saying: “Please will somebody in my bloody family act like they give a s***”.
In the interview with Dr. Phil, which features on the premiere of his show’s 16th season, she reveals she had previously sent “begging” and “angry” letters to her family before deciding to record the video.
But she told him she doesn’t blame her relatives, adding: “It’s not easy for families of mentally ill people. We can be difficult.”
She added in reference to the Facebook video: “I thought it would maybe be better if they saw how I’m feeling — they’d relate to it.”
Asked by Dr. Phil if her family had watched the video, she said: “No.”
In the viral video, O’Connor revealed she was living in a motel room in New Jersey and said of mental illness: “It’s a bit like drugs, it doesn’t give a s**t who you are. And you know what’s worse? The stigma doesn’t give a s**t who you are.”
The interview with Dr. Phil also sees O’Connor talk about her mother, saying: “She was a person who would delight and smile in torturing you.”
And she reveals she is now “excited” to be getting some “proper help” with her mental illnesses.
O’Connor became an overnight sensation back in 1987 with the release of her debut album The Lion and the Cobra.
She later was booked as a musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1992 where she famously ripped up a photo of the Pope at the end of her a cappella version of War — allegedly in protest over sexual abuses.
She has previously revealed that she is bipolar and has suffered from intense depression.
Sinead O’Connor’s Dr. Phil episode premieres Tuesday, September 12th. Check local listings.