203: When Pregnancy Isn't "Magical": Anxiety, Depression and Treatment with Actress Liz Masucci

We can all draw strength and community from the stories of others. Today’s guest uses her talents in acting, producing, and writing to inform and educate people about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Her overriding messages are that everyone deserves help and support so they don’t feel like she did, isolated and alone.

Elizabeth Masucci is an actress, producer, and writer based in NYC. She started in theater and then began working in TV and film. Liz has starred on several TV shows such as Elementary, Royal Pains, and Public Morals, which was produced by Ed Burns and Steven Spielberg. She now mostly produces her own projects with a company she started with a friend. They have a few TV shows in development, one of which is a dark comedy about women struggling with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders at a maternal mental health center. Since Liz struggled with PMADs while she was pregnant with her daughter, she uses this creative outlet to share her story and spread support and information to others. She is also the mom of a little boy who was born last December.

Show Highlights:

• How Liz experienced depression and anxiety in her first pregnancy in 2018
• Because she had no information and no support, she felt confused, and her emotional swings and rage spiraled out of control
• How she saw a reproductive psychiatrist who prescribed medications, when Liz really wanted to explore further the why and what of her experience
• How she discovered the Motherhood Center in NYC through Postpartum Support International and signed up for the day program, which turned out to be a lifesaver
• How the varied aspects of support in the group therapy program helped Liz feel more stable and supported, along with Prozac
• How Liz transitioned later into her postpartum with the same support from the center
• What it was like in the beginning when realized that “something wasn’t right;” she felt tired, unmotivated, and totally overwhelmed with the normal tasks in preparing for a baby
• How Liz felt about telling others about her struggles
• How Liz immediately felt much better after giving birth
• The hesitancy and questions around taking medications during pregnancy
• How Liz felt during her second pregnancy, when she continued on medication; it was during the pandemic, but she had an easy postpartum period with no dark places
• Why Liz wanted to share her experience as an outlet for her and a way to help others
• Liz’s projects: a TV show about PMADs and group therapy, and a film about postpartum psychosis
• Why there is such stigma and misunderstanding around PMADs and postpartum psychosis
• What Liz wants others to know: “When you’re pregnant and in the postpartum, your body is going through a lot. Things will come up, so don’t ignore them. Don’t feel shame, but find the resources available to help you.”

Resources:

Liz Musucci

@lizmasucci on Instagram and Twitter