Passion Pit - Passion Pit Frontman Michael Angelakos Explains Depression Battle

The group axed a series of concerts over the last few weeks to allow Angelakos time to recover from his mental health problems, but they made a comeback at Perry Farrell's music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois on Friday (03Aug12).

Before hitting the stage at Lollapalooza, Angelakos spoke openly about his depression in a candid interview with Rolling Stone magazine, revealing that he was struggling to get out of bed at his lowest point.

He also admits he is relieved to finally be able to talk about his problems, as he spent so many years keeping quiet about his condition.

Angelakos says, "I've gotten really good feedback... I didn't know how it was going to be received... It's a lot nicer to be able to talk about it. I've been lying about it. People have been like, 'Why'd you cancel the shows?' I was like, 'Oh, I had a migraine.' It's like no, I couldn't leave my bed. It's just so much a part of my life... It's a lot easier for me to say I have pneumonia. And that is what I was going to say... People don't understand that it's not just debilitating; it's all-encompassing. It's something you have to work on your entire life... My depression was so bad three weeks ago when we had to cancel everything... It was so bad that I was suffering from something called Psychomotor Retardation, which is essentially where your brain starts shutting down your entire body. So you're sitting in bed and you can barely move."

The singer goes on to thank his bandmates for supporting him and he vows to continue touring, adding, "They've always been so understanding; they've never questioned anything. They've always understood how serious it was because they've witnessed it. They've had to deal with it. It's not fun to be on the other end of it...

"It's hard to be doing this at all. It's not just a person who suffers from any mental health issue that shouldn't be touring - most people shouldn't really be touring. It's not really a healthy lifestyle. I know how to do it to a certain extent to make it work for me and I have people who care about me and want me to be well. I make it work because I need to make a living too. And this is what I do."