For Candace, her thoughts felt real, and she feared that seeking help and having to share these thoughts could lead to her daughter being taken away.
Transcript
I decided not to share my deepest thoughts with others because I was very embarrassed, but more than embarrassed, then, I was afraid that … for a couple things. Most of all I was afraid that my daughter would be taken away.
Interviewer: Be taken away?
Yes, by child services. I was terrified that … Because again, at the time, I thought that my thoughts were real and that they were connected to more than just thought. I thought they were connected to an action, but they weren’t. So I was afraid. I was embarrassed that I could even think those things. Some of them were quite disturbing. So to share those, something that comes from a very dark place, not something I would feel comfortable generally with. I was worried because of potential repercussions on myself and my husband professionally. If my daughter ended up needing to be in child services or just having people know what’s going on in our family base, we’re pretty private and just knowing that this situation requires outside help, how is that going to look and how is that going to have repercussions on us as individuals and as a family?
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- Sharing Experiences – CandaceSupporting other women who were struggling with their mental health helped Candace be accountable to herself and her own health.
- Medication and Treatment Approaches – Candace (clip 2)Candace describes how difficult early days gradually got better after starting medications.
- Medication and Treatment Approaches – CandaceCandace says her family doctor came at it from all angles.
- Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – Candace (clip 2)Candace believes it is important to have a mental health module on prenatal classes.
- Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – CandaceCandace describes how her support group helped her to learn tools to take care of herself.
- Communicating with Health Care Providers – Candace (clip 2)Candace wishes for a more supportive screening approach for mental health concerns.
- Communicating with Health Care Providers – CandaceCandace felt comfortable talking to her family doctor.
- Seeking Help and Getting Diagnosis – CandaceAfter visiting her parents while in crisis, Candace contacted her family doctor and immediately received the support she needed.
- Relationships – CandaceCandace and her husband started talking after she experienced non-stop thoughts at night, and she slowly revealed how strong the thoughts were.
- Managing Personal Challenges with Sleeping and Eating – CandaceIf Candace has another baby, she would rely more on her social network for support and getting moments to sleep.