in Mamas with depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders

SAHM with depression

Hey, so I’m looking for some advice or for anyone who’s experienced something similar to me. So a bit of backstory: I’m a sahm with my almost 3 year old son in the UK. I was diagnosed at a young age with anxiety and depression and more recently with ADHD. My son’s birth (2022) was pretty traumatic (I almost died kind of traumatic) and I was told because of my mental health history as well as the birth I had I was prone to PPD. Both my partner and I was surprised when in the first year of my son’s life I was the best I’d ever been and it was as if being a mum was what had been missing from my life. However, after the first year I’ve been gradually going down hill mentally….and now icl I’m really struggling. Before becoming a mum when I got badly depressed I’d stay in bed and wait for the depressive episode to pass and this would happen maybe a couple times a year. Obviously now I can’t do that and I don’t blame my son or anything like that and I have no regrets having him. But it’s like every time I ignore the urge to stay in bed like I would before, each depressive episode gets worse and closer together (like contractions I guess lmao). Now it’s at the point that it’s affecting my relationship and I’m terrified it’ll start to affect my son. I have been to therapy and been told I had ptsd from the birth and have worked through that, which don’t get me wrong it helped! But I’m still getting these depressive episodes that are becoming more uncontrollable. Another lovely addition to my mental health in the past couple years is social anxiety which means I don’t want to go and speak or see people and the depression just heightens that. How do I get out of this? Surely mums have experienced this before? I really hope this post makes sense to someone😅

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I can kind of empathize, I have severe anxiety and was diagnosed with bipolar depression. I’m also trying to get tested for ADD. I was told I was prone to PPD/PPP. I got it bad and instantly. Being a SAHM especially during COVID was very isolating. What helped me was getting out of the house so I jumped at any party invite, family dinner etc after the first year. I got a part time job at night after my hubby was home, now I’m pregnant again and I’ve quit but i finally saw a psychiatrist cuz I’m exhausted mentally who prescribed mood stabilizers because SSRI could add to my mania as a side effect, I have been seeing a difference after just three weeks. It helps me sleep, lowers my anxiety, I have motivation to get out of bed more days than before. I really hope to continue seeing an improvement

I struggled through Covid and I wasn’t even a mum at that time so I can only imagine how hard that must’ve been!❤️ My issue is that because I’ve unintentionally isolated myself I don’t really have any friends anymore and I’m not particularly close with family so I don’t get to go out much to socialise but I’ve been told it will help, hence signing up to peanut. I do have a dog so I’m out at least once a day to walk him. I also work from home in the evenings as an editor and I’m on elvanse for my adhd. I love being a mum and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but being a stay at home mum (which i used to love more than anything) does it not feel like same shit different day? Hope you keep seeing improvements and happy for you that you’re feeling better❤️

I suffer with anxiety and depression I'm on sertaline also a mom to 3 it's hard but the sertaline tablets really help me been on them a year an mood changes with in hour of taken them :) please seek help frm GP for medicine as it really helps x

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