Katie Melua opens up about acute psychotic breakdown

Katie Melua has opened up about suffering an acute psychotic breakdown in her twenties, saying she feared it would leave her unable to make music.

The singer, who released her multiplatinum debut album Call Off The Search in 2003, spent six weeks in hospital in 2010 and was forced to take a break from her music career.

However, she returned to the charts with her fifth album in 2012 and released her ninth, Love & Money, in 2023.

Now 40, Melua said she hopes to continue making music "until I die" in a new interview, speaking on the Origins With Cush Jumbo podcast.

Asked if she ever considered quitting, she replied: "Oh no, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it.

"I was afraid that, what if for whatever reason I'm not allowed to do it, or I can't do it. I was worried about that, but thankfully that didn't happen at all. It was my saviour."

She added: "I really want to make records until the day that I die, honestly."

Melua said she had discovered what "small warning signs might be" and learned to look after herself better.

"I remember one of the therapy tools that I got from hospital was like, take one day at a time," she said.

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The British singer, who was born in Georgia, gave birth to her son in 2022 and said he had "massively" helped her to stay focused.

She has spoken candidly about her mental health issues, previously telling The Telegraph she had never suffered depression before but balancing album releases and touring had become "crazy" in the months leading up to her breakdown.

The NHS says the three main symptoms associated with a psychotic episode are hallucinations, delusions and confused and disturbed thoughts.