Question:

We lost the family home in May this year. My husband quit yet another job last year in July. He has been looking for another job since then. I had my job but I don't get enough hours to support the family and keep the mortgage payed so I have been struggling ever since. There have also been issues between my husband and my daughter (his stepdaughter).

I feel like I have been taken to the cleaners. With all the stress of supporting my husband and being positive for him and my daughter with all their arguments it got too much.

My husband said he wanted to go his own way and now I am on my own with no husband, no house to live in and the family pet had to be given away. I am now out on the streets with my daughter and I feel like I am alone.

I recently tried to take my life with a very sharp knife but I only stopped because my daughter needs me. I have been blaming her for the break-up as she had a lot to do with it but I feel my husband just didn't love me like I thought. He got a job, then the day after he told me we were separating.

Please help or give me any advice on what I should do. My daughter and husband were my life and I feel that has been taken away from me.

Answer:

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles and it sounds like you've really been doing it tough in recent months.

It's not for me to comment on personal and relationship issues. However, if your mental health is such that you attempted to harm yourself, then it is very important you see a GP to get some assistance. Perhaps they will refer you to a psychologist for help with how you are feeling after this stressful period. It may be hard to imagine now, but one day you will certainly look back on this time in your life, and think, "I got through that, and now I feel so much better about things."

You can also call the SANE helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) for information and advice relating to mental health problems. Calling Lifeline on 131 114 can also be helpful to talk through how you are feeling.

While you can get support regarding practical issues such as income support from agencies such as Centrelink, it can be less easy to access help for how you feel. It's also hard sometimes to stop dwelling on feelings and making yourself feel worse, especially when you have experienced big, life-changing events, of course.

This makes it all the more important, then, that you talk frankly to a doctor about how you are feeling and get the help you need to move forward. Any family or friends who can help at this time will also be valuable, to get you over this difficult period and hopefully start a new, more positive phase in your life.