Bressie has opened up about his struggles with depression since he was a teenager.

The musician and star of The Voice penned an honest and emotional article for The Irish Independent in which he spoke about John Waters recent comments on mental health that caused much controversy.

John Waters said about depression: “I don’t believe in depression. There’s no such thing. It’s bulls***. It’s a cop out.”

Bressie said he was “low, very low, and scared sh******” after he purposely broke his own arm as a teenager, “One evening, I anchored myself to a chair as I lay by bed and intentionally and repeatedly crashed my forearm against the bridge of the frame until I felt the bone break.”

Bressie spoke about how he feels Ireland has come so far since he was a teenager suffering from depression and although there “may still be people like John who either don’t fully understand the complexities of mental health or are lucky enough not to have been affected by it, but I can tell you one thing, there are far more people out there who do understand.”

He also praises the Irish media in creating a platform for openness surrounding mental health issues, saying: “The Irish media is being incredibly forward thinking and supportive and genuinely having an impact and, without doubt, saving lives.”