Troubled Irish singer Sinead O'Connor appeared to have attempted suicide, after a statement on her Facebook page said she had taken an overdose.

The post, whose authenticity could not immediately be verified, expresses hurt that O'Connor had been cut off from her family by events described as "a horrific set of betrayals".

"I have taken an overdose," the statement, made on Sunday, read.

"There is no other way to get respect. I am not at home, I'm at a hotel, somewhere in Ireland, under another name."

"If I wasn't posting this, my kids and family wouldn't even find out. I could have been dead here for weeks already and they'd never have known."

A public relations company linked to O'Connor was not immediately available for comment.

A spokesman for the Irish police refused to comment, but a police source said O'Connor had been "located safe".

Media reports said she was receiving medical treatment.

Earlier this year the outspoken singer cancelled a number of concerts because she said her son was suffering from a "life-threatening medical condition".

She also had a hysterectomy in August, which she detailed on her social media accounts.

In another post on Facebook on Saturday, O'Connor said she was finished with the music industry. 

"Music is over for me. Music did this. Rendered me invisible even unto my children. Murdered my soul. I'm never going back to music."

The singer, known for her strong views on issues including women's rights and abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, has spoken publicly about her battle with depression through the years.

O'Connor won critical acclaim with her 1987 debut album, "The Lion and the Cobra," but her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" catapulted her to international fame.