Sinead O’Connor has claimed that her spat with Miley Cyrus has helped create an “important” conversation about mental health.

O’Connor published an open letter urging Cyrus not to let the music industry take advantage of her in October this year. Since then, the pair have swapped barbs in public, with Cyrus receiving criticism from mental health charities for mocking O’Connor’s battles with psychological illnesses over the years.

O’Connor later said that she had received threatening messages from Cyrus fans urging her to commit suicide but, in an interview with Time, the singer said she thought their dispute had also been beneficial as it had created a platform to discuss larger issues.

“I think what was more important really that came out of the Miley thing was this issue of being able to conversate about how mental health and human rights is now,” she said. “I think she was actually very helpful. I think the two of us, without meaning to, did quite a good job in terms of creating conversation about something really, really important.”