'Nashville' Star Hayden Panettiere on "Painful" Battle With Postpartum Depression

Art imitating life is a pretty common occurrence. When it comes to Nashville star Hayden Panettiere and the character she portrays on the show, Juliette Barnes, the two are similar in more ways than fans might realize. Panettiere opened up about her "painful" battle with postpartum depression during an appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael on Monday (Sept. 28).

Panettiere shed light on the misconceptions people often associate with postpartum depression. Although she admits every woman experiences it differently, the disorder is definitely something she relates to after giving birth to her daughter, Kaya Evdokia, in December. Her small screen persona struggled with a difficult pregnancy and episodes of postpartum depression

"I can very much relate," Panettiere said on Live! With Kelly and Michael. "It's something a lot of women experience. When [you're told] about postpartum depression you think it's 'I feel negative feelings towards my child, I want to injure or hurt my child' - I've never, ever had those feelings. Some women do. But you don't realize how broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on. It's something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they're not alone, and that it does heal."

Postpartum depression (PPD) is described as a clinical depression which affects the mother, and sometimes even the father, after the child is born. Symptoms for the disorder include, but aren't limited to, sleep deprivation, irritability, anxiety, sporadic crying and a lower sex drive. The severity of postpartum depression varies.

The 26-year-old actress and activist believes it's a topic that needs to be discussed more, not only with women, but with everyone. She gushed about the amazing powers women possess, including the ability to grow and house a human being in their bodies.

"There's a lot of misunderstanding - 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. It's something that's completely uncontrollable. It's really painful and it's really scary and women need a lot of support."

The Heroes star is ultimately grateful for her family and cherishes the strong bond she and her husband, professional Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, have with their daughter. Panettiere revealed she's always wanted a big family and always thought she would have four, but as of now, she's taking it one baby at a time.

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Hayden Panettiere, NAshville