Motherhood is often painted as pure joy—but for many women, that picture hides a painful truth. When Nilupulie Karunaratne gave birth to twins, she expected laughter, lullabies, and love. Instead, she found herself struggling with emotions she couldn’t control.
Nilupulie, like countless mothers, had always imagined motherhood as the culmination of happiness. But the moment her babies arrived, something felt deeply wrong. “I became mentally unwell and fell into depression. I couldn’t handle even simple daily tasks,” she recalled. Her twins, Gaven and Gloria, were born in November 2019, and the months that followed were a blur of joy mixed with despair.
Tears came without reason. Anger simmered at the smallest things. “I used to be very social, but after giving birth, I developed social anxiety. I couldn’t face people anymore,” she said.
Breaking Cultural Silence
Nilupulie’s story begins far from where she now lives. In 2016, she moved from Sri Lanka to the small Queensland town of Miles, home to barely 2,000 people. The stunning quiet of rural Australia came with isolation—and that isolation deepened her emotional distress. “I thought asking for help meant I was weak,” she admitted. “I could tell something was happening in my mind, but fear stopped me from opening up.”
She had never heard of postpartum or perinatal depression. “As immigrants, we don’t speak about mental health because of traditional beliefs and stigma,” she added. “It’s considered shameful—it’s just not something people want to admit.” But here’s the part most people overlook: cultural silence can make postpartum struggles even more dangerous.
A Hidden Crisis in Regional Areas
Recent findings from the Gidget Foundation, which supports parental mental health, suggest this problem is widespread. According to a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 new and expecting parents, one in three parents believe their struggles aren’t serious enough to seek help. Even worse, one in four experience perinatal mental health symptoms but never reach out, and nearly a third say they simply can’t afford support.
The ‘perinatal’ period spans from conception to a baby’s first birthday—a time often framed as precious, yet fraught with vulnerability. “Many people downplay what they’re feeling,” said Gidget Foundation team manager Mathew Aquilina. “They don’t realize their symptoms qualify as reasons to seek help.”
Aquilina described this as a dangerous ‘awareness gap’—especially in regional areas. In Ballarat, where Nilupulie now resides, roughly 505 parents every year face perinatal anxiety or depression. “It’s not that mental health services don’t exist,” he said. “The problem is that people don’t know they do.”
Data from the Foundation also revealed a striking difference: 45 percent of regional parents reported complicated pregnancies, compared to 31 percent in metropolitan regions. It raises an uncomfortable question—are rural families being left behind in Australia’s mental health safety net?
From Pain to Purpose
Nilupulie’s lifeline came from someone close to home—her husband, the only GP in their small town. He spotted the warning signs and referred her to a psychologist. “Everything was done online,” Nilupulie said. “There were no local mental health services in our area.” Slowly, she began to recover.
A year after giving birth, Nilupulie decided to channel her experience into helping others. She started volunteering with the Gidget Foundation to raise awareness in her community. “I felt compelled to share my story,” she said. “If even one mother recognizes that what she’s going through is real and seek help, that’s worth it.”
Her mission is clear: education and access. “Many people—especially immigrants—don’t know about the free mental health support available in Australia,” Nilupulie explained. “Now I understand that seeking help isn’t weakness. It’s strength.”
And here’s where the debate gets real: if awareness gaps, cultural shame, and healthcare costs still keep parents from seeking help, what does that say about how society views mental health in motherhood? Should awareness campaigns focus more on rural and immigrant communities, or must we first challenge the cultural myths that silence them?
What do you think—does Australia do enough to support new parents’ mental well-being, or is the system still failing too many?
