Fern Britton Joins Parents Proudly Sharing Mental Health Stories For Sport Relief's #MumTalk Campaign

#MumTalk Campaign Proves There's No Shame In Struggling With Mental Health Issues
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Parents who have been affected by maternal or paternal mental healthissues are challenging the stigma surrounding conditions by proudly sharing their stories on social media.

Mums and dads are using the hashtag #MumTalk on Twitter to talk about their own personal stories and share motivational messages to one another as part of Sport Relief's latest awareness raising campaign.

TV presenter Fern Britton has joined the campaign and shared her own experience of postnatal depression on the charity's website.

"I was lonely, I was isolated, I didn't feel myself and I wondered where I had gone," Britton said in a video promoting #MumTalk.

"When all my jobs were done I would either go manic and clean my entire house or I would go upstairs and think how can I kill myself. I was deeply unhappy and I didn't know why.

"When the doctor told me it was postnatal depression, there was a huge sense of relief that I was not going mad."

Mums and dads engaging in the conversation on Twitter have shared how talking about their problems has helped them.

As well as the #MumTalk hashtag, people are using #DadTalk to show it isn't only mums who suffer.

Sport Relief, the charity traditionally known for keeping people in the UK active, has also featured personal stories from parents who have experienced mental health issues on their #MumTalk homepage.

The money raised through Sport Relief has been helping to fund maternal mental health projects in the UK since 2010, such as the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Bluebell Care Trust - a charity supporting new parents with depression.

The charity is encouraging new parents who may struggle with their mental health to visit the Maternal Mental Health Alliance for more information and support.

The website has information and resources for parents, as well as the option to find local support groups in their area.

For more information on the campaign visit www.sportrelief.com.