Behind the Smile My Journey out of Postpartum Depression

While the famous Osmond smile beamed for the camera, no one, not even Marie, fully realized the anguish and emptiness that loomed behind the smile. Marie is not alone; more than one-out-of-ten new mothers experiences post-partum depression (PPD) after childbirth. Yet few women seek help due to feelings of shame and guilt, or fear of isolation. After giving birth to her seventh child (four of her children are adopted), Marie became increasingly depressed. One night, she handed over her bank card to her babysitter, got in her car, leaving her family and husband, and drove northwith no intention of returning until she felt she had resolved this crisis. After she went public with her own experiences with PPD on Oprah and Larry King Live, the response was overwhelming. Now, Marie shares with readers the fear and darkness of the depression she overcame, and, in collaboration with the doctor who helped her through her ordeal, offers the methods she learned for treating PPD. When Marie Osmond spoke about her experience with PPD on Larry King Live and Oprah she struck a chord with female viewers. Her revelations brought most of the audience to tears and elicited enormous amounts of viewer mail. Marie gave PPD a voice, bringing national attention to the condition, with coverage appearing in People and Time, among other publications.

Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, author, philanthropist, talk show host and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s.