Melinda backs depression campaign

5:56pm Tuesday 26th February 2008

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LOCAL celebrity Melinda Messenger is backing an awareness campaign on post natal depression.

Organised by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Trust, the initiative aims to help the one in 10 new mothers this year's Mother's Day who will suffer from PND.

Mother of three Melinda Messenger knows all too well that PND can leave you with the feeling that you are an unworthy mother.

Melinda experienced PND after the birth of her second and third children, with severe depression and unbearable headaches that made her think she was dying.

"Looking back I couldn't see an end to the hell I was experiencing, I saw my life falling apart and there was nothing I could do," Melinda said.

The changing point came when Melinda's GP identified her condition and she could begin then to understand and cope with her feelings through therapy.

"Helping Mums to realise there is professional support out there for them this Mother's Day can make a real difference to their lives".

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust website has further information on the symptoms that are commonly experienced, as well as some useful tips and reference points on how to deal with PND. Log on to www.awp.nhs.uk