Music

Adam Duritz back with new songs after mental illness diagnosis

As the lead singer of alt-rockers Counting Crows, Adam Duritz has sold millions of albums over the last two decades, been nominated for a Grammy and had high-profile romances with the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Winona Ryder. Trouble is, Duritz, has trouble believing any of it is actually real.

In 2008, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with depersonalization disorder, a mental illness where sufferers feel disconnected from their own thoughts and body.

Duritz in 2014WireImage

It “makes you think you’re imagining things and that nothing is real,” Duritz tells The Post. “It makes it hard for you to attach to things — and that makes relationships tough.”

When he’s working, Duritz, 50, suffers far less so it’s a great relief to both him (and the band’s faithful fanbase) that Counting Crows are back in action, playing Irving Plaza on Sunday ahead of the release of their new album “Somewhere Under Wonderland.”

It’s the Californians’ first album of original songs in six years — and the first since Duritz went public with his disorder, which has made rocking and rolling a challenge.

While on tour he has to limit wear and tear on his voice, so he tries not to speak between shows — spending his spare time playing solitaire, watching movies and reading. The lack of human contact is important for his vocal health but doesn’t help his mental condition.

“Being stuck inside your own head is not fun when you have something like this,” says Duritz, who lives in the West Village. But over the years, he says he’s come to terms with his disorder and weaned himself off medication.

“I know it won’t kill me,” he says. “Just because you can’t have the perfect life, doesn’t mean you can’t have any life.”