2011 Writing Competition

Postnatal Depression, Men and Women - Personal Experiences and the Search for Real Answers

9 per cent of expectant women and 16 per cent of new mothers suffer postnatal depression as well as 1 in 10 men. This writing competition put the spotlight on their stories in an effort to provide more answers to deal with the problem of mood disorders during a vulnerable two-year span that takes in the period of pregnancy, childbirth and the baby’s first year.

More than 200 entries were received and an independent judging panel selected the following winners and highly commended essays.

Read the judges' report [PDF, 43KB]
Read the news release [PDF, 46KB]

The prize winning entries

• 1st: Storm Clouds
• 2nd: Lost and Found
• 3rd: Vacuuming with the Black Dog
  

Highly commended entries (in no particular order)

• The Memory of Scars
• Breaking Down the Wall of Shame
• A First Time Mother: The Rural Perspective
• When the Wind Blows
• Every Pain Won’t Come to Harm Us
• The Signs Were There

Men's essays (in no particular order)

• A Husband's Experience of Postnatal Depression
• Out of the Blue
• The Catastrophe of Postnatal Depression