Stacey gives birth

Posted Wednesday 23 June 2010

Mind has been continuing its work advising BBC soap Eastenders on a storyline about bipolar disorder. This week see the character Stacey Branning arguing with Ryan Malloy in the pouring rain and suddenly going into labour. Unaware that he is the baby’s father, Ryan goes with Stacey to the hospital in an ambulance where she gives birth to a girl.  

Stacey is anxious about her abilities as a mum and agonises over the difficult decision whether to breastfeed her newborn child or not, while she is taking long-term medication for bipolar disorder. This aspect of Stacey’s storyline shows that life circumstances can quickly change, that managing a mental health diagnosis is an ongoing process, while highlighting the importance of access to vital information and support.

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Mind guides

• Making sense of lithium and mood stabilisers

• Making sense of antidepressants

• Understanding bipolar disorder or manic depression

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