Co Kildare mother in depression crisis walked away from family home
A Co Kildare mother describes how her depression had reached crisis point, forcing her to walk out the door of her family home, leaving her husband and two young sons behind.
29-year-old care- assistant, Debbie Mason lives with her partner Peter ( 30) and young sons Ryan and Luke in Prosperous.
One day, she left her home and walked until she reached Donadea, Co Meath. At that point, she began walking back.
She said: "I just up and left, I put the cup down. I just walked, I was going anywhere other than where I was. I felt like I wasn't being a good mother and partner."
This was the turning point for Debbie, on her return home that evening, she was found by her family.
She said: "I realised that I have a wonderful partner and a loving family."
Depression started for Debbie around the time that she became unexpectedly pregnant with her son, Luke who is now five. She had the implant contraceptive inserted.
She said: "It was a shock."
Her son Ryan was just three at the time. She was busy with work and felt tired all the time.
She spent the pregnancy worrying about the effects that the implant would have on the developing baby.
Debbie said: "I did not get a chance to enjoy the pregnancy."
Following six months of maternity leave, she returned to work on a part-time basis. Then she started working full-time.
She said: "The cost of childcare is very stressful. Peter was doing his best, he was working too. My mother would try and help out. On the days I was off, I felt that I couldn't catch up. I got into myself. I could not switch off from work. I was not able to do simple tasks, like preparing the dinner. I was on edge, on the verge of tears. This went on for a while, I was getting scared, I was not sleeping. I was picking on food and then binging on food."
She informed her work that she was feeling stressed and was given two months leave. She started taking antidepressants and received counselling which helped her.
However, she is nolonger taking antidepressants. According to Debbie, a healthy diet, exercise and talking is working for her to combat depression.
Tomorrow night, Debbie along with her family will appear on TV3's new series, Doctor in the House.
Having heard Debbie’s cry for help, the doctors arrive to examine the family and follow them for a week to find out what’s really going on in the Mason household. Debbie is told that nearly 50% of her body is comprised of fat and she is very close to being labelled obese. Additionally Peter is informed that his teeth are in poor condition.
Speaking to Peter, Dr Nina Byrne said: “We calculated that you are consuming 10 times the recommended daily limit of sugar. But the big thing we have to talk about is the effect of the sugar on your teeth; you have significant infection in your teeth and gums. If you have bad dental health, it actually is a risk to your health in general; you can get a very nasty infection in your heart, which can kill the valves in your heart, purely from poor dental hygiene”.
They are also informed there is virtually no difference in height and weight between Ryan (8) and Luke (5), who were living on a diet of chicken dippers.
After eight weeks, the doctors return to see how the family are implementing the new recommendations and what health improvements are taking place.