Brooke Shields has responded to Tom Cruise's criticism of her use of anti-depressants.

Whilst on the interview circuit to promote his new movie War Of The Worlds Cruise, naming Shields, dismissed psychiatry and the use of anti-depressant drugs as a 'pseudo-science,' denying the existence of chemical imbalances.

Actress Shields, who took drug Paxil in 2003 when she experienced depression and suicidal thoughts following the birth of her daughter, has responded in The New York Times.

She wrote: "To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general.

"If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease."