Sarah Michelle Geller courageously spoke about her mental health battle in May. The actress took to Instagram to share her story, where she revealed she suffered from postpartum depression.
Today, she is feeling better than before but believes mums should seek help. It’s important to remember that there is no shame in asking for help.
She spoke to HuffPost about why we need to treat mental health illnesses with more respect.
Sarah is aware that there is a stigma surrounding mental health issues, but we need to work together to beat it.
“It’s still a disease like anything else. If someone says, ‘I have cancer’ you automatically have sympathy for them and want to help,” she expressed.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star has urged people to be more empathetic. “I think it’s important for people to understand that not only can it happen to anyone, but that there’s also a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Sarah admitted that there is help available, turning to friends and family for support is the first step. She understands that it can be overwhelming and difficult, but it is necessary.
Discussing mental health issues can be hard for many people. Some people fail to feel comfortable talking about such a sensitive topic, mainly due to the stigma attached to it.
Sarah has encouraged people to be more honest, they have nothing to be ashamed of, bottling things up will make your situation worse: “When you talk about anything to do with mental illness, so many people don’t want to share.”
She continued, “What happens with any kind of mental illness is you can go down a rabbit hole.”
When she posted about her battle with postpartum depression, Sarah admitted that she wasn’t expecting it to start such a big debate.
When she shared her story in May, she encouraged people to remain hopeful, "To those of you going through this, know that you're not alone and that it really does get better.”
Sarah added, “And if you believe that postpartum depression should be covered by healthcare, please take a moment and go to callmecongress.com today, find your rep's numbers and let them know.”
This comment caused serious backlash. Sarah admitted she was stunned by some of the harsh comments she received. The aim of her post was to show people that it does get better.
She shared her disbelief with HuffPost, saying she never wanted to spark a political debate.
We have so much respect for Sarah, speaking out about postpartum depression was a huge step for the mum. Sharing her story will make a difference.
