Eventually Melanie sought the advice from a doctor and was relieved to finally be diagnosed.
Describing the moment she sought help, she said: “Literally my thoughts were ‘I’m losing it, I’m going mad, I can’t cope’, so when I got home I went to my GP and for the first time ever I said out loud what was going on with me, and he said ‘OK, well the first thing we need to address is your depression’, and this huge weight was lifted from my shoulders.
“I felt so relieved because I just thought oh my God it’s got a name, its something, I can be helped, you know, it was such a relief to me.”
