The Untold Truth Of The Cranberries' Lead Singer Dolores O'Riordan

All too often, we see celebrities standing on the pedestals their fans put them on, and we think they must have it made. But O'Riordan broke the mold there, too, and spoke openly about her own struggles and her own mental health.

All too often, we see celebrities standing on the pedestals their fans put them on, and we think they must have it made. But O'Riordan broke the mold there, too, and spoke openly about her own struggles and her own mental health.

When she talked to Barry Egan (via the Belfast Telegraph), she told him about not just the abuse she suffered as a child, but the impact it had on her as an adult. At the same time she struggled to come to terms with the newfound fame of The Cranberries, she fought to manage the depression that led her to suicidal thoughts, anorexia, insomnia, and panic attacks. It all culminated in a nervous breakdown, but in 2013, she said she was well on her way to becoming "better and stronger."

"I knew why I hated myself," she told Egan. "I knew why I loathed myself. I knew why I wanted to make myself disappear. ... I think I am getting stronger for sure. But I'll always be a bit of a train wreck. Nobody's perfect. Those people who pretend they are perfect aren't perfect." She also added that binge drinking was her biggest problem at the time, and that she turned to the bottle when the memories were too much and she couldn't control them. She had boundaries in place even then: no sleeping tablets with alcohol.

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