Charlotte’s story

“My journey with mental health began at 17 when I lost a close friend and I was diagnosed with OCD and depression. I managed fairly well into adulthood, and it wasn’t until I had my second child that things got unmanageably hard.

“I really struggled with all aspects of my mental health following my daughter’s birth. I stopped leaving the house, I was having hallucinations, my OCD was out of control and stopping me from living a ‘normal life’.

“I was referred to a specialist perinatal mental health team which was a game changer for me. I could speak to people who understood how I felt, that recognised this wasn’t the ‘real me’ and provided me with invaluable tools to help in my recovery.

“I loved the team that much, that after my discharge I joined them in a peer support role! I’ve since gone on to have my third child, and while I believe I utilised all the tools in my box to stay well – combining both my personal experience and work experience, I sadly got very unwell following his arrival.

“This cumulated in a stay in a Mother and Baby unit and a much slower recovery. Both the inpatient team and the perinatal team are the reason I am here today. They are the reason I have come this far on my recovery journey and back to doing the job I love.”

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