Originally released on September 1, 2006, by Trisol Music Group, and recorded at Mad Villain Studios in Chicago, Illinois,[2] it was the first album by the artist to receive widespread distribution around the world.

After Autumn parted ways with Trisol, a third issuing of Opheliac, entitled The Deluxe Edition, was released by The End Records on October 27, 2009, to coincide with her first American tour.

"[2] Alissa Ordabai of HardRockHaven.net said of the album, "[...]Autumn’s voice is alternately sweetly pitch-perfect and ruggedly punky, mirroring perfectly the conflict between chaos and order that’s at the centre of her act", and, "After all, under all of her grotesque buffoonery and a desire to shock hides a shrewd knack for writing a perfect pop song and vocal chops that can carry through and deliver any message she chooses – from deliberately neurotic to artfully vacuous.

While the original Ophelia did indeed go "mad", it was not primarily caused by her boyfriend knocking off her dad, but rather by not only Hamlet but also all the men in her life manipulating and pushing her to the point of no alternative.

[12] The album, largely written and recorded in the wake of Autumn's hospitalization due to bipolar disorder,[13] touches on themes ranging from mental illness, suicide, and child abuse, as well as societal expectations of women and misogyny.

[16][17] All tracks are written by Emilie Autumn, except where notedIn addition to the audio tracks, Opheliac features live concert footage, clips from her performance of "Misery Loves Company" on the WGN Morning Show on January 12, 2006, and four short video clips entitled "Inside the Asylum: Lessons in Being a Wayward Victorian Girl".