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Southland woman Kristin Taylor, 35, took her own life on August 27, 2020, after suffering from maternal mental health problems following the birth of her daughter 15 months ago.
Kristin Taylor dreamed of being a mother. That dream turned into a “living nightmare” that eventually claimed her life.
The 35-year-old mother took her own life in late August after spending the past 15 months suffering from maternal mental health problems following the birth of her daughter.
Taylor, who grew up on a farm in Tuatapere in Southland with two younger brothers but was living on the Kapiti Coast when he died, had suffered from anxiety since he was 13 years old. After eight years of being fight-free, he was rekindled with a vengeance when his daughter was born.
Her husband, Alastair Taylor, said that his wife was warm, caring and irreverent, but that her postpartum anxiety, which turned into depression, became devastating and like a cancer “took over Kristin’s very being.”
“It is so tragic that she cannot reach that potential of being the mother she always wanted to be,” she said.
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Southland woman Kristin Taylor, 35, was released from Wellington Hospital days after a suicide attempt last year.
Taylor was at high risk of developing maternal mental health problems after having previously suffered from anxiety, as well as a traumatic delivery and problems with the baby’s feeding and sleeping.
“It was good until June of last year. Something seemed to break and it became too much. It followed a strange pattern. For the last 15 months, she would be fine, then she would come, build up, and bite again.
“The pros did their best, we are lucky that Kristin has come this far.”
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Kristin had made an attempt on her life several times in the past year, and although the professionals did their best, the “pitiful” support from the public mental health system disappointed them, she said.
Last August, his wife was admitted as an inpatient to a ward at Wellington Hospital after a suicide attempt. Despite this, she was left at home for the weekend where, again, she tried to kill herself, she said.
“We have an epidemic of mental health problems and something – with people taking their own lives. How do we have a situation where an impatient woman who tried to kill herself during the week was allowed to go home on the weekend? Clearly, she was in no condition to leave the room. It prevents faith. Here we are, I don’t have a wife anymore and Greer doesn’t have a mom. It’s tragic. “
The hardest [suicide attempt] The take was on her little girl’s first birthday while Taylor was still in the hospital, she said.
“That shows how sick Kristin was.”
Fortunately, they had been able to afford private counseling twice a week, who had done their best within the broken system, he said.
“Why do we depend on the help of a private psychologist? Kapiti has a small mental health team … two psychiatrists and a psychologist. The district health boards need to be more supportive … I just don’t think they know what they’re doing. “
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Alastair Taylor believes that support for public mental health is regrettable.
“The problem seems to be that we put people in units and we close the door or they are in the community where we fight. Kristin was too sick to stay home, but most of the time she wasn’t sick enough to be in a ward. “
Kristin had undergone several surgeries for failed suicide attempts that ACC had covered, but mental health lacked resources and funding, she said.
“It scares me to think how much ACC has paid to treat physical injuries caused by mental health problems. If a fraction had been spent on mental health care, we would not be here now. ”
Health experts agree that maternal mental health services are significantly under-resourced.
Alison Eddy, executive director of the New Zealand College of Midwives, said there are “very few” specialized maternal mental health services available in the country and they are only available to women with severe mental health needs.
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA), a charity that provides training for healthcare providers, said that in addition to a gap in services to support parents with mild to moderate mental health issues, there was a need for more Maori and Pacific professionals will work in this area, and the provision of appropriate services for Maori and Pacific Whānau, who currently have worse outcomes in perinatal well-being.
Where to get help
- 1737, do you need to talk? Call toll free or text 1737 to speak with a trained counselor.
- Anxiety New Zealand 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)
- Depression.org.nz 0800111757 or text 4202
- Kidsline 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
- Life line 0800 543 354
- Mental Health Foundation 09 623 4812, click here to access your free resource and information service.
- Rural support trust 0800 787 254
- Samaritans 0800 726 666
- Suicide Crisis Helpline 050828865 (SUPPORT 0508)
- Supporting families with mental illness 0800 732 825
- thelowdown.co.nz Web chat, email chat or free text 5626
- What happens 0800 942 8787 (from 5 to 18 years old). Telephone advice available from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 23:00 and on weekends from 15:00 to 23:00. Online chat is available from 3 pm to 10 pm every day.
- Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234, email [email protected], or find online chat and other support options here.
- If it’s an emergency Click here to find the number for your local crisis assessment team.
- In a life-threatening situation, call 111.
