Fine (Not Fine)

A combination of memoir, case-studies, and a diverse range of perspectives from medical professionals, this book presents a comprehensive study of the realities of post-natal depression. The author give an honest account of her own experiences as well as talking to other mothers and fathers who have suffered.

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What happens when a mother says she is 'fine' but really she is not? Post-natal depression (PND), an illness which affects four in ten new mothers, is still stigmatised, and devastatingly misunderstood. In Fine (not Fine), Bridget Hargreave charts her own experiences of depression following the birth of her sons and records the histories of a collection of mothers with a diverse range of perinatal mental health problems, such as anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, and ante-natal depression. She includes the stories of the mother who was hospitalised with severe depression, the mother who was so anxious she was physically sick every day, the mother whose birth trauma means just hearing the word "midwife" leaves her in a cold sweat, and the mother who bravely and honestly outlines the plans she made to end her own life. Brought together by a series of interviews with mental health professionals and charities campaigning for changes in perinatal care, Fine (not Fine) tells the story of a hidden epidemic, and the remarkable people fighting it.