Gaynor believed in making a difference. She was a passionate advocate for research, believing that we must do everything we can to understand puerperal psychosis and bipolar disorder: the condition that finally took her life. She was a “Research Champion” for the Bipolar Disorder Research Network (BDRN) and advisor to Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) making an invaluable contribution to our work. Gaynor featured in the Stephen Fry documentary “The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive” discussing the difficult decisions that she and other women face when considering pregnancy. Although the documentary was unable to do justice to our complex discussions, she believed that it was important that the issues were raised. She believed in better services for women making difficult choices regarding pregnancy.
Last year we chaired a workshop at the national MDF conference on pregnancy and childbirth. The room was packed and the discussion heated but when Gaynor spoke about her experiences, everybody listened. Al- though she was very unwell after his birth, it was obvi- ous to me that she was a wonderful and devoted moth- er to Thomas. Her untimely death reminds us that this illness can be cruel and heartbreaking. She became a colleague and friend to us at APP and will be greatly missed.
Ian Jones on behalf of APP
Read full news item