In memory
Debbie.
What follows is Debbie's story, told with care by her family and approved by them. If you find yourself struggling as you read, please pause. Support is available at any time through the NEED HELP NOW panel at the edge of your screen.
Debbie Gaunt was a much-loved mother, wife, friend, family member and colleague.
She was the person other people called when things were hard. She was bright, capable, and present, until, in her late forties, something began to change in ways no one around her could quite name.
Debbie became suddenly and severely mentally unwell shortly before her death by suicide, an episode that has since been related to the significant hormonal effects of perimenopause.
We have to make sure other families know what we didn't.
The language to describe what was happening, and the medical understanding to treat it, was not where it needed to be. By the time Debbie's loved ones knew enough to ask the right questions, it was too late.
Debbie is at the heart of everything we do, and ensuring that no woman or family faces the mental health challenges of perimenopause alone.
In memory
A Current Affair feature
Debbie's husband speaks with A Current Affair about her death and the perimenopause behind it.