New Women’s Health podcast

Published 9:00am 14 September 2023

Words by Moreton Daily

By Ella Bradford

Down Syndrome Queensland (DSQ) has released an episode on its Now and the Future podcast to shine a light on women’s mental health.

The podcast episode is dedicated to women’s health Week, discussing the importance of identifying signs of a mental health problem and offering practical advice on getting support.

Who is featured

The episode features mental wellness advocate Donna Thistlethwaite, an expert in the field who can offer a personal insight.

Donna has lived with mental health challenges and attempted to end her life in 2012.

She is now dedicated to empowering others - speaking out and training people about resilience and mental wellness.

“Almost half of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetime, with 20 per cent in any year, and women are a majority of figures,” Donna says.

“There can be a lot of pressure on women and if you add into that caring for a child with a disability, it is a lot of load to carry.”

Donna provides listeners with insights into identifying early symptoms and addressing them in a proactive manner.

She encourages conversations about finding help and says sometimes just talking helps.

“Sometimes just talking can help process what’s going on. It’s really true, that old adage, that a problem shared is a problem halved,” Donna says.

“It’s one of COVID’s silver linings that people are having more of these conversations. It’s normalising and destigmatising, but I still think we’ve got a really long way to go.”

Donna says people often tell her they do not have time for self-care and resilience strategies.

“I like to challenge that because there are some things that we truly can slip into the cracks of a busy life. It’s about finding those things that bring you joy and making sure that you prioritise those in your life,” Donna explained.