Mum-of-two Stephanie Waring has opened up about her suffering from the condition, saying she sought medical attention to help deal with her growing anxiety post birth.
Speaking to Now magazine about her experience after the arrival of her second daughter in 2010, she explained:
“I had very bad anxiety. I thought there was something wrong with Lexi – she wasn’t feeding properly and I was scared.”
Mum to Mia, 10 and Lexi, five, the Hollyoaks actress told how this episode saw her undertake medication to help her on the road to recovery.
She explained: “I went straight to my doctors and I was in hospital as well. They put me on medication and I also had a lady come visit me every week.”
The single mum spoke out to hers fans offering support to other women going through a similar situation.
She said: “My advice to anybody would just be to get the help. It’s a mental illness, you can’t just get better from that on your own.”
As many as eight out of ten women can experience some kind of sadness, fear, anger, or anxiety after giving birth, and around one in ten women will suffer postnatal depression.
However, many women who suffer from the condition do not seek medical help, meaning they sadly go undiagnosed and without the care they need.
This is not the first time Stephanie – who plays Cindy Cunningham in Hollyoaks – has spoken out about mental illness.
She previously told The Mirror: "I felt like I had fallen into a black hole and there was no way out. I took anti-depressants for about a year. The first thing is to recognise the signs - then you can get help."
"There is still a stigma surrounding mental health issues.”
For more information of postnatal depression, see HERE.
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Also read...
Do I have postnatal depression? Causes, symptoms and treatments
Anxiety: Everything you need to know, from dealing with attacks to seeking help
Antenatal depression: Everything you need to know about depression during pregnancy