Bruce Springsteen’s battle with depression

Bruce Springsteen was left "crushed" when he was diagnosed with clinical depression.

The 66-year-old rocker has spoken openly about his struggle with the mental illness and particularly how it affected him around the release of his 2012 LP ‘Wrecking Ball’, which includes a song titled ‘This Depression’.

In his forthcoming memoir ‘Born to Run’, he writes: "I was crushed between 60 and 63 to 64. Not a good record. Not a good record."

Bruce – who has three children with wife Patti Scialfa – also discussed about how his 63-year-old spouse has dealt with his illness during their 25 year marriage.

He wrote: "Patti will observe a freight train bearing down, loaded with nitroglycerin and running quickly out of track. She gets me to the doctors and says, ‘This man needs a pill.’"

And while Patti finds it uneasy reading about Bruce’s mental health struggles, she accepts that by writing about his issues it acts as a form of therapy for him.

In a join interview with her husband for the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Patti said: "If I’m being honest, I’m not completely comfortable with that part of the book, but that’s OK.

"That’s Bruce. He approached the book the way he would approach writing a song, and a lot of times, you solve something that you’re trying to figure out through the process of writing – you bring something home to yourself.

"So in that regard, I think it’s great for him to write about depression. A lot of his work comes from him trying to overcome that part of himself."

The ‘Hungry Heart’ hitmaker also discusses his father’s battle with depression and how it impacted on their relationship in the book.

He told the publication: "You don’t know the illness’ parameters. Can I get sick enough to a where I become a lot more like my father than I thought I might?"

Bruce’s ‘Born to Run’ memoir is out on September 27.