Christine talks about feeling depressed and isolated.

Parent case study.

I have been living in Ireland since January 2005. I came here, freshly married with a good job opportunity in my pocket and full of hope and happiness with a heart full of curiosity for a country I had never been to before. I had no idea that this, all this, could change in an instant! Being blessed quickly with my first child and having her here, we were quickly established with good jobs, a beautiful house in a very nice area, everything was perfect.

It was a rainy and cold January evening, my daughter was just two weeks old when I experienced for the first time the other side of my husband. He left me with no notice, bag of debts, not one Euro in my pocket and a whole background of lies and deceit.

Even though I am European, I was a foreigner in the country, had no support at all and felt totally alone and overwhelmed. Being in a situation feeling like that with financial burden and emotional issues and still in a state of shock, I fell into depression. I isolated myself with the feeling of desperation and a big part also was being ashamed to be a single parent. Living in a lovely estate, with the picture perfect families I became an exotic in one minute. I was at the end; I was so down that I wanted to take my life.