#SPEAKYOURMIND: Leeds mum-of-six Bev opens up about post-natal despression

Beverley Thornton, from Meanwood, has battled with mental health issues for 30 years. Picture: Tony Johnson

The relief-filled moments experienced after bringing your first child into the world are often described by mothers as the most joyous in their lives.

But for some new parents, the hours and days that follow child birth can be among their darkest.

Leeds mum-of-six Bev Thornton knows how hard those days can be - after she was diagnosed with post-natal depression following the birth of her first child, aged 26.

“I got the ‘blues’, as they call it, the ‘baby blues’,” Bev told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“I got it really, really bad. I was so depressed. I had no motivation.

“I bonded with my child but some people don’t even do that, they kind of reject the child - it’s not their own doing it’s just the chemistry.

“They said it was a hormone inbalance and that I would get over it - but I didn’t.”

Bev has grappled with mental health issues for more than 30 years since that first diagnosis, and now works for the NHS in Leeds using her experiences to help encourage people to express their views and shape the service for others.

She is today bravely sharing her experiences as part of the YEP’s #SpeakYourMind campaign.

After being on anti-depressant medication for six months, she stabilised and was managing until the birth of her second child, three years later, and was diagnosed with manic depression - now known as bipolar.

“I accepted it because I looked it up and it made sense,” Bev says.

“It fitted the traits and I could relate to it. It affected others more because I lost a lot of friends, my family kind of judged me too much.

“