Pregnant and taking Sertraline I’m 17 weeks pregnant and still taking the SSRI antidepressant Sertraline. I thought I was pretty firm in that decision. An attempt to stop taking it last year ended badly. But we had to try, if only to help us work out where we sat in the endless risk/benefit balancing act. But…
Author: Clare Foster
Eating problems and early pregnancy
Recovering from eating problems Over the last year, I’ve been facing up to eating problems that have dogged me my entire life. This became particularly important as we tried (and for a long time failed) to conceive. It was really hard going but I got my cycle back and my hormones balanced – by the…
Depression and anxiety in the first trimester
A toxic mix I had some very low periods and dark thoughts during the first trimester of pregnancy. The myth of pregnancy as a calm, exciting and enjoyable time is still pervasive – but there were times when I felt unable to take pleasure in anything, distant from Al and scared I wouldn’t be able…
Community development and management support for Contact a Family
Contact a Family got in touch late last year. They were looking for help setting up their new community, developing guidelines, establishing processes and training new moderators. Over the last few months I have been working closely with them and we’re almost ready for launch. Scoping I spent some time on scoping work –…
Thinking of recruiting volunteer moderators for your online support community?
More and more charities are setting up online support communities – a space online for people who use their services to come together and share information, offer support and help each other to feel less alone. It’s almost expected now – if you don’t have a space like this, you may find people use your…
5 star review for Miscarriage Association training materials in RCOG’s journal (TOG)
Learning materials for health professionals I was really chuffed to hear that the Miscarriage Association learning materials for health professionals were given a 5* review in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ journal The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG). I did a lot of work on these resources and it’s brilliant to get such positive…
Managing mental health in a relationship – one of Mind’s top 10 most read blog posts in 2016
I was chuffed to see the blog I did for Mind on managing mental health in a relationship was in Mind’s top 10 most read blogs of 2016.
Signs of change and coping with cheese – how my eating disorder recovery looks now
Mental health problems have a way of taking over. I’m lucky enough never to have been hospitalised or signed off work. Life has always stumbled on. But moods and behaviours creep in and twist their tendrils around daily life. They trick you into thinking they’re normal, into nourishing them. It’s not until they start to…
Writing to the Information Standard for Mind and the British Lung Foundation
If the events of 2016 have told us anything, it’s that people can write any old rubbish and post it online as fact. And people will believe them. Especially if those people are vulnerable or anxious. And no one is more vulnerable or anxious than when it comes to researching health concerns. The internet is…
Recovery is long, messy, uncomfortable and emotional – but i’ll keep trying (and talking)
Glad to have an eating disorder? Apparently Liz Jones is glad she has an eating disorder. In her latest piece for the Mail, she tells us that recovery is so hard that it’s easier not to try. She’s lived with an eating disorder for so long that she’d rather take refuge in behaviours that feel…
Strong, powerful, upsetting, thought provoking and with important teaching points – developing Miscarriage Association learning resources for health professionals
Skimming through the British Medical Journal, I came across a blog called Breaking bad news in maternity care. It’s a lovely piece about the new learning resources I worked on with the Miscarriage Association. I coordinated the development of these resources, working with the National Director of the Miscarriage Association, the Media Trust and lots of…
Avoiding an unwanted pregnancy far outweighs any side effects of contraception…how dare you say it’s that simple?
Women on hormonal contraception are more likely to be treated for depression Recent research has shown that women taking hormonal contraception are more likely to be treated for depression. And we already know that those with pre-existing depression may have their symptoms worsened by the pill. Tell us something we don’t know. I’ve avoided hormonal contraception completely…
A letter to Incognito about OCD
Hey Incognito, You probably haven’t thought it through – and I’m sure you don’t mean to cause offence – but I wanted to highlight some of the problems with your OCD Hand Sanitizer product and the accompanying text. OCD is an incredibly debilitating mental health problem. So much so that the World Health Organisation ranks…
The next step in recovery – letting go of clothes that don’t fit
Too small I’m selling some of my favourite clothes. Some of them are definitely too small. I bought them when I was at my lowest weight last year. Fitting into a smaller size was an unhealthy but irresistible boost to a fragile self esteem that had narrowed to focus only on my weight and ability…