Gabrielle – Interview 33
Gabrielle has experienced depression and anxiety for twenty years after experiencing postnatal depression. She has been hospitalised a number of times. She is currently taking antidepressant medication and seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Gabrielle has used her own experience to help a local post-natal support group for new mothers and to help her interact with her patients in her nursing work.
Gabrielle experienced severe post-natal depression; after the birth of her daughter when she was 23. She described herself as being anxious, fearful and suicidal;. Gabrielle thinks that this could have been a drug-induced psychosis from narcotic pain medication;. She sought help from a psychiatrist who prescribed antidepressant medication, while family and friends advised her to concentrate on the baby;. Gabrielle didn’t sleep and had difficulty maintaining her weight. Because there were no services in her area, her sister investigated interstate options and found a clinic interstate. After hospitalisation, Gabrielle remained interstate with her daughter. At that time the relationship with her partner ended. She continued to work part time as a nurse and received intense psychotherapy. During his time she was hospitalised on a several occasions. She then met a new partner and together with her daughter moved to another city to form a new family with her new partner and his children. Gabrielle found a psychiatrist for herself and a child psychologist to help her daughter, who had been affected by the separation.
Life and work stress later became too much for Gabrielle and she described herself as becoming manic;. She couldn’t sleep and would often walk the streets all night. She was again hospitalised a number of times. She says that both the private and public hospitals and staff were wonderful;. When her mother was killed in an accident and her partner left her, Gabrielle was too unwell to care for her daughter. Her daughter lived with her father, and she lost contact with her stepchildren. This was devastating for Gabrielle who then returned to her home state, although she doesn’t remember how she returned and estimates she lost all memory of a roughly two-year period. She reflects that this is in part due to the seriousness of her illness at that time. She was hospitalised when she returned to her home state and received ECT therapy. After more psychotherapy she began part time work and was able to live with her daughter again. Gabrielle met her husband during this time.
She currently takes antidepressant medication. She thinks that depression is both a chemical imbalance’ but is also ‘a spiritual and social illness;. Spirituality is an important part of her life, and affirmations are a daily part of her mental wellbeing. She has also used her own experience to help a local post-natal support group for new mothers and to help her interact with her patients in her nursing work.
An important part of getting better for Gabrielle has been getting enough sleep, and she also takes multivitamins and fish oil. She has accepted her mental health condition as part of who she is. She believes that humour is an integral part of her recovery and that loving her daughter fully is wonderful. She would like to see better specific post-natal care for women in her local area and believes that access to this is very important. Gabrielle is open and honest; about her experience.