Shay Mitchell has opened up about experiencing “crippling” depression during the early stages of her pregnancy.
The actress, who is nine months pregnant, has admitted that she’d never heard of prenatal depression before experiencing it herself.
Speaking to Hatchland, she said: “As long as I can remember, I’ve heard about postpartum depression.”
“However, to be depressed at the beginning came as a shock. The isolation and anxiety I experienced was crippling.”
“I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase.”
Shay continued: “I’ve been fortunate since sharing the news of my pregnancy to have some amazing conversations with other pregnant women and moms and know that all these feelings are ‘normal,’ so now we just need to normalize them by discussing more openly.”
The former Pretty Little Liars star, who is expecting a baby girl, kept her pregnancy a secret for six months – as she had previously suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage.
“With the first pregnancy, I was elated and told everyone at eight weeks,” she said.
“However, I wanted to be sure that this second pregnancy would be viable before shouting it from the rooftops, so I hid it for nearly six months and became very anti-social.”
“Usually, I’m incredibly active and outgoing, but instead, I mainly stayed home to avoid stares and questions. I was extremely lonely.”
She added: “Pregnancy can be a hard time, especially if you’re having to hide it. After I came out publicly, I felt an enormous wave of relief and was finally able to start enjoying the pregnancy.”
