– Mums on Drugs: One Mother’s Struggle with Depression
Now before you paint a sordid picture of me sitting amongst my children, watching play school and “puffing with the magic dragon”, let me make things clear. I’m not talking about the recreational kind of release, the ones that may or may not cover your memories of younger years in a cloudy haze; I’m delving into the world of something just as controversial amongst the parenting community. Over the counter, under the counter, prescription and/or naturally therapeutic, it has become increasingly apparent to me of late that one parent’s saving grace is sometimes the source of another’s misguided judgement. 
“How could she possibly be depressed? She has everything! Her kids are healthy, her husband is wonderful and she has a beautiful home. What’s her problem?“
She couldn’t tell them, because on the outside, nothing is wrong. She loves her family and is grateful for everything she has, but that dark cloud has chosen her, for reasons she cannot fathom, and she’s doing the best she can to deal with it. Chances are that half of those women who talked about her behind her back have struggled with the same demons, and have taken, or continue to take, some form of medication to help them cope. But they are scared to say anything, especially now, fearing the repercussions of an under-educated society.
Fact: – Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be taking antidepressants.
I’m taking a massive risk, putting this all out there. Chances are that whispers may follow me around the school yard once it “gets out” that I am a proud advocate of taking anti depressant medication to treat and manage mental health. I am not a bad mother because I take my “happy tablets”, I am a better mother because I recognise that I cannot cope without them. There is a huge percentage of parents out there, young and old, who are relying on their little bit of chemical help. Shouldn’t we be more focused on supporting each other, rather than judging each other? Because as Alice once said to the Mad Hatter:
“I’m afraid you’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret…… All the best people are”
If you feel you may be depressed, please seek medical attention or follow this link to our post on health’hotlines and suggested websites for further information and advice – https://stayathomemum.com.au/my-kids/babies/important-hotlines-websites/
SAHM takes no responsibility for any illness, injury or death caused by misuse of this information. – All information provided is correct at time of publication.
Responses to “Mums on Drugs: One Mother’s Struggle with Depression”
Thank you for writing this piece. Succinct and very well said.
It’s unfortunate that society still stigmatize and label people living with mental health challenges. Well done for putting it out there.
I choose to manage my anxiety naturally now. But I did rely on medication for twelve months after the birth of my first child.
Namaste 🙂
Having spent 19 years in treatment for depression and anxiety, I am now at a point where I am fairly used to the social stigma. It is pretty awful, though, that for such a common disease there is so much ignorance surrounding it.
To be honest, I find often my harshest critics are family – perhaps after all this time I have finally managed to surround myself with friends who understand!
The link is to my blog wherein write about being a Mum with depression.
Congratulations on writing honestly about depression. I have had it for years, even before having my children, a spin off of chronic pain. Then when I had a baby and pre-schooler at home I had a bad experience with a couple of anti-depressants and tried to go natural, exercising, eating correctly to get the correct serotonin in the system etc, I’d read all about it and was sure I could cope. Suddenly something went wrong and I was over dosing on a script tablet I had in the cupboard (valium). It was only after I had taken all the bottle I realised what I’d be doing to my children and husband. Got help immediately, thank goodness, Then we found a good anti-depressant. Since then I’ve been scared to swap medication when needed, but have had to as time has gone by and my body has adjusted to meds, my then pre-schooler is now 19. I just hope that this issue is talked about more and more, not just the depression, but the need for script drugs to control it.
I’m so happy to read about this. I am currently dealing with depression and anxiety for about a few years. And it is very hard to talk about it to anyone fearing of what they would think of me. I did try antidepressants and even a natural kind. It was a horrible experience for me when I took them so I’m trying to do it naturally with no medication. I’ve got anxiety meds but try to only take it on a really bad day. I’m grateful to have my husband who has gone through it during our first kid so he is pretty understanding of it. He helps me during my bad times which is mostly during my menstrual cycle. Exercising does help me at times. Even though its been a few years, but it still feels like forever. Thank you so much for writing this!
Hi Stella,
So glad you found our article useful. It’s good to know you’re not alone. 🙂