Published on: 2nd March 2022
Mum-of-two Dr Zara Ahmad, 30 from Prestwich, experienced post-natal depression and intrusive thoughts following the birth of her daughter last year. After seeking help, Zara is now supported by our Healthy Minds Bury service, which is for people aged over 16 who are experiencing conditions such as low mood, anxiety or depression.
Following a routine pregnancy and having experienced no issues at similar stages with her five-year-old daughter, Zara admits her mental health difficulties came totally out of the blue.
Zara said: “I just couldn’t shake a feeling of anxiety for a couple of weeks. I then began to really worry about not being able to properly care for my children, and I was obsessing over not being well and what that would mean for my family.”
After attending her daughter’s eight-week check-up and noticing other mums who seemed at ease with their new babies, Zara started to share concerns about her health with close friends and family. She also booked an appointment with her GP, who referred her to Healthy Minds Bury.
Zara began a course of cognitive-behavioural therapy with Healthy Minds, which is a talking therapy that helps people manage the way they think and behave.
Although it took some time to get used to therapy, Zara believes the treatment massively helped her understand what she was going through, so she could start feeling more like herself.
Zara added: “Even though I have a medical background, I wasn’t exactly sure what cognitive-behavioural therapy was and how it could help me. It’s been a long process of learning how to expose myself to my intrusive thoughts, but I definitely think it’s helped me a lot.”
With her mental health now moving in a positive direction, Zara is hoping to share her experience with women in similar situations and encourage them to access support as soon as they notice any warning signs with their health.
While Zara believes her medical background encouraged her to ask for support, she strongly believes women of all backgrounds should feel confident to ask for help, and some of the stereotypes around therapy need to be addressed.
Zara said: “Awareness of mental health issues and different treatments is getting better all the time, but there’s still more to be done. Therapy is as much about listening and understanding as it is about talking through your problems, and I think the more people know about the treatments, the more confident they will feel in accessing the support."
Joanne Gisbourne, Zara’s cognitive behavioural therapist at Healthy Minds Bury, says Zara is an “inspiration” for sharing her experiences.
Joanne said: “Zara worked really hard to understand her symptoms and overcome her intrusive thoughts. We worked flexibly so she could balance her responsibilities as a parent of young children.
“It was a pleasure working with Zara and I hope her story will help to de-stigmatize mental health problems and normalise accessing therapy no matter who you are, or what your background might be.”
