We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melanie Squadroni a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
firstName}, thank you so much for agreeing to talk with us about a deeply personal and sensitive topic. Postpartum depression affects so many in the community and hearing from someone who has overcome PPD might help someone who is going through it right now. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience
After my daughter was born, within a week I fell very hard into the hole of PPD. It was a nightmare to finally be a mom and have this wonderful baby yet my brain went instantly to panic mode and I couldn’t stop crying and having sever anxiety attacks. It lasted about six months, I saw doctor after doctor and tried multiple medications that never really worked for me. A friend of mine finally said to me that what helped her was setting a schedule and sticking to it. That definitely helped immensely, but didn’t pull me out of it. Sadly the only thing that really got rid of it was going back to work.
That was 24 years ago. I am 51 years old now and earlier this year I was diagnosed with ADHD, apparently it’s something I have had my entire life. Such a late diagnosis really had me diving back into my past and making sense of a lot of issues. The main one being PPD. I started to put it together… the biggest cause of anxiety in a person with ADHD is daunting tasks, what is the more of a daunting task then taking care of an infant? Suddenly being a mom?
I feel that PPD is very much linked to women with ADHD and I’m really hoping that in this new age of mental health intelligence that future women who may have PPD will have better options and better treatments. If I was put on ADHD medication and knew I had it, I truly feel that my PPD would have been treated much faster and I would have a much easier time with my new baby.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Art is like my therapy, my way to communicate with the world and express my feelings without saying a word. After my divorce in 2018, I dove into my creativity feet first. Since then, I have discovered my love for painting and illustrating, creating beautiful pieces with bright colors to make your eyes smile.
I guess you can say I’m a budding artist, based in Philadelphia. Full time, I do graphic design for a direct mail company, but in my free time I am writing and illustrating a graphic novel as well as developing a children’s book. I do work in different medias, but my heart belongs to the wild technique of watercolor and gauche. The messiness and unpredictability of the medium speaks to the messiness of life and love and how beautiful it still is, mess and all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msquadronicreations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_by_melanie_squadroni/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyMelanie13
