Sinéad O’Connor has announced she’s entering a one-year rehab program to address “trauma and addiction.”
Over the last few years, O’Connor has been open about her struggles with mental health. In a 2017 interview with Dr. Phil, she spoke about being abused as a child and her subsequent suicide attempts. But 2020 has been an especially hard year for reasons both obvious and personal, and O’Connor has made the decision to seek help. She revealed her thinking in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, November 10th, writing,
“Message for folks who have tickets for next year’s shows: those shows are being postponed until 2022 so that I may go into a one year trauma and addiction treatment program because I had a very traumatic six years and this year was the end of it but now recovery starts.”
Without delving too far into the details, the Irish singer explained that, “This year I lost someone beloved and has affected me so badly that I became briefly addicted to a drug other than weed.” She added that, “I grew up with a lot of trauma and abuse. I then went straight into the music business. And never learned really how to make a normal life.”
Adding to her stress, one of her children had been suffering from an undisclosed ailment. “The last year has been very traumatic also due to one of my kids being unwell and the child is thriving now thank god but the mom needs TLC,” she wrote.
She also stressed the importance of getting help now. “If I take this time to heal, I will be fit for a lifetime of touring,” she said. “If I don’t, I won’t.” O’Connor ended the thread by noting that “treatment begins next week,” and promising to keep insulting Donald Trump until then.
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A few years ago, O’Connor changed her name to Magda Davitt, before later converting to Islam and re-naming herself Shuhada Sadaqat. More recently, she’s returned to using her birth name for some of her artistic pursuits.
This year I lost someone beloved and has affected me so badly that I became briefly addicted to a drug other than weed.
— Sinead O’Connor (AKA Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) November 10, 2020
I grew up with a lot of trauma and abuse. I then went straight into the music business. And never learned really how to make a normal life.
— Sinead O’Connor (AKA Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) November 10, 2020
If I take this time to heal, I will be fit for a lifetime of touring. If I don’t, I won’t.
— Sinead O’Connor (AKA Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) November 10, 2020
Treatment begins next week so I’ll still be posting here until then. Mostly about what a total twat Trump is. And how he’s way too stupid not to be clever. They may as well just have Putin openly in charge of America since he’s been running it for four years anyway
— Sinead O’Connor (AKA Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) November 10, 2020
