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Tag: parenting and mental health

  • Lady Gaga’s Mother Discusses Singer’s Childhood Mental Health

    Lady Gaga’s Mother Discusses Singer’s Childhood Mental Health

    “What I didn’t realize because I wasn’t prepared, was how to really deal with it. When I was growing up, times were different.”

    With her incredible success, Lady Gaga has used her powerful platform to speak out about mental health with her Born This Way Foundation.

    Now, her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, spoke with CBS This Morning about how parents can deal with children that are struggling with their mental health. 

    Throughout her life, Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, has struggled with depression, anxiety and PTSD.

    “As a parent, I wasn’t prepared to really address this,” Cynthia explains. “Stefani was very unique, and that wasn’t always appreciated by her peers, and as a result, she went through a lot of difficult times – humiliated, taunted, isolated.”

    My Generation Was Told To Suck It Up

    Upon entering middle school, Germanotta saw her daughter go from “a very happy and aspirational young girl to somebody that started to question her self-worth, to have doubts about herself. What I didn’t realize because I wasn’t prepared, was how to really deal with it. When I was growing up, times were different. The way that we would deal with things was what we learned. I relied on the generational grit of just sucking it up and getting on with it.”

    Once she saw her daughter clearly struggling, Cynthia says, “It’s very hard to know what to do. The profound impact that it can have (on families). It basically turns the focus of everything onto that one individual. Families feel conflicted about it, they don’t really understand it, it causes conflict, and a lot of stress within the families. It can also cause feelings of guilt and helplessness, not knowing how to help my daughter. What I’ve learned is that no family is immune to this.”

    Parents: Listen To Your Children, Share Your Own Struggles

    For families that are struggling with troubled teens, Germanotta recommended that parents simply listen.  

    “What I learned from my daughter is to listen and validate her feelings. I think as parents our natural instinct is to go into problem-solving mode, when in fact they really just want us to take them seriously and understand what they’re saying.” 

    While a lot of troubled youth don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents about their struggles out of “fear of being judged,” Germanotta adds that “as parents we don’t talk about our own struggles. I encourage parents to be vulnerable. Talk about your current and past struggles. The biggest thing is to talk to them.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dad Details Personal Struggle With Postpartum Depression

    Dad Details Personal Struggle With Postpartum Depression

    Paternal post-natal depression affects around 10% of fathers. 

    Postpartum depression is commonly thought of as a women’s issue but a number of scientific studies have revealed that men can also be affected by the disorder. On recent episode of Today, one parent has come forward about his struggles with postpartum depression after his wife gave birth to their son.

    As Zavo Gabriel told Today, his wife Annie went through a difficult birth of their child. She was in labor for 36-hours, and the doctor had to use the forceps in the delivery.

    “It was really difficult for me seeing the look on her face when she was pushing the hardest,” he explains. “She was screaming and making these noises, which sounded like someone pushing for her life.”

    Once Gabriel’s son was born, he started having “multiple panic attacks a day,” and he had to distance himself from the family for some time.

    “I was a total wreck,” he confessed. “Annie’s mom had to step in and be the co-parent for those first few weeks.”

    According to research, about 10% of fathers can suffer from postpartum depression. As a source at Northwestern University explains, “The estimate is higher than depression in the normal population. A father’s depression has a direct link to the child. It definitely impacts the whole family’s health.”

    And the same factors that can cause postpartum depression in women can affect men as well, whether it’s a history of mental illness, more stress in your personal life, sleep deprivation, or changes in your hormonal chemistry. Men can experience a drop in their testosterone levels, which can lead to depression once they become fathers.

    As one source told Today, postpartum depression in men “shouldn’t be belittled. We need to change the culture of what masculinity is and be more inclusive about why fathers’ experiences matter.” Dads don’t get screened for postpartum depression as much as women, and they’re often afraid of the stigma surrounding the condition, which often prevents them from getting the help they need.

    Gabriel did finally seek help, completing six weeks of outpatient therapy, and he’s still attending therapy while raising his son. “All I wanted was to get back to Annie and start this life as a family,” he says.

    View the original article at thefix.com