Adele has praised her best friend for sharing her “heartbreaking” account of suffering from post-partum psychosis.
The singer, 30, posted a photograph on Instagram of herself and Laura Dockrill, who welcomed a son – Adele’s godson – six months ago.
“This is my best friend,” said the star.
“We have been best friends for more of our lives than we haven’t.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmbSyYwho-B/?hl=en&taken-by=adele
Adele continued: “She had my beautiful godson 6 months ago and it was the biggest challenge of her life in more ways than one.
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“She has written the most intimate, witty, heartbreaking and articulate piece about her experience of becoming a new mum and being diagnosed with post-partum psychosis.”
Adele, mother to a five-year-old son, added: “Mamas talk about how you’re feeling because in some cases it could save yours or someone else’s life x.”
The post links to a blog in which Ms Dockrill describes her experience.
Introducing her blog post, Ms Dockrill wrote: “Social media gives a very shiny exterior of life to be frank and it’s not the full picture, so I wanted to unlock some doors and be honest – I’ve been somewhere I can’t unsee and- in case there is anybody out there struggling – to open up a dialogue and say it’s ok.
“You are not broken… Alrighty… I’m gonna be brave…so here we go.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmbPX7AgaM5/?hl=en&taken-by=lauraleedockrill
Ms Dockrill shared her story with Clemmie Telford on parenting hub, Mother Of All Lists.
She describes how post-partum psychosis is a condition affecting 1 in 1,000 women and says “in my case it was built upon post natal depression and exhaustion and escalated into a phase of what I can only describe as hell; mania, mood swings, insomnia, delusions, paranoia, anxiety, severe depression with a lovely side order of psychosis.”
The blog post says doctors believe her traumatic delivery could have triggered the condition.
Ms Dockrill discusses how the condition affected her, causing “severe anxiety attacks” and how, at one low point, she even accused her partner of trying to kidnap their son.
She was eventually hospitalised for two weeks away from her son.
Ms Dockrill uses the blog post to thank her family and psychiatrist, saying their support, psychotherapy and medication is helping her heal and recover each day.
Read Laura Dockrill’s full blog post here.
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