I have recently been diagnosed by my GP as having postnatal depression and anxiety. My child is now 14 months. It has taken some time for me to be honest about how I am feeling, and I can't help but think that other people will think I am lying or something to get more time off work, because why would it take 14 months to get this diagnosis?
I guess that's all part of the problem. I am troubled daily with intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts, apathy and immense feelings of fear and guilt.
I am currently prescribed sertraline 100mg. I am on week 4 now. The panic has settled, but all other symptoms persist.
I wanted to start a support thread as I feel so alone. I feel my mum friends that I have known since my child was weeks old, couldn't possibly believe that happy, confident mum could have PND. How do I tell them?
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Postnatal health
PND and PNA Support Thread
Tweedledee3Tweedledum · 25/03/2017 18:38
Hello Tweedledee. I didn't want to read and run even though you will get responses from many more experienced people. Well done for getting help, it really is a huge step to do so. I struggled at around 5/6 months with anxiety and thankfully had a lovely health visitor who visited me once a month and helped me set goals to work towards. My anxiety got better and I also had a supportive GP that I saw and whose door is open if I feel I need to go back. I felt a bit 
for mine taking so long to come out, I didn't feel that way when dd was born. She was born after many years of secondary infertility so my anxiety was also linked to then feelings of being so ungrateful for her on days I found her hard work. I pretty much emotionally beat myself up.
One of my goals was being able to tell people how I was really feeling without crying. I would just cry if I tried to talk about it so I avoided telling anyone how I really felt. I found this easier to do with people I didn't know that well and to be honest none of my inlaws know I was ever struggling. My mum who had also had pnd was amazing. I haven't told work (just recently returned after mat leave) because I want to appear sane for my job. It's terrible really isn't it all the stigma and in reality they would be lovely but I feel like I need to keep m work face on.
However I do feel much better now and in control of my feelings and anxiety. I couldn't have go there without my HV who just let me talk and told me repeatedly that my feelings were normal. I just wish you well and unmumsnet hugs. The dark days are so hard but you will get to the light in the clouds.
There is a lovely fb group called Mummy on the Mend. They run groups not too far from where I live it I was never brave enough to go. They also have people on the fb page from all over and it's a closed supportive group.
Hello, user 
. Have you thought about going to your gp? I too found it really difficult to be honest about how I was feeling, but I do think it is the first step to feeling better.
I totally understand the shame around feeling fine initially and all of a sudden that changes. I have found myself isolating myself from friends as I don't know how to tell them? I guess it is more common than I thought though.
Sending . I hope today has been ok.
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