Death in Paradise star Kimberley Nixon has described the horrifying feeling about her health struggles. The Welsh actress tried years of IVF and gave birth to her son during the 2020 pandemic. But her worries about the baby's wellbeing quickly turned into dark, intrusive thoughts.
Speaking on I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast, the Fresh Meat star said she was diagnosed with "severe postnatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)", and she felt terrified all the time. "After two and a half, three years after he was born, I had really severe post-natal OCD, which I didn't even know was a thing. For six months after he was born, we knew something was very wrong...with me. He was fine, he was perfect," she said.
Describing the symptoms she experienced, Kimberley shared: "You know, years and years of trying and finally he's here, it should've been wonderful but it was the opposite. It was awful, dark, black thoughts, so I knew something was wrong.
"And I wasn't talking any post-natal depression in the stuff you know, I wasn't sad, I was scared. I was terrified all the time, literally I was shaking - like a gun was pointing at my head 24/7 for two years."
When she started to recover, she had a series of in-depth assessments and diagnostic tests through NHS. The results came back last July and confirmed that she was diagnosed with autism and ADHD.
In an interview with BBC Radio Wales, she told presenter Behnaz Akhgar that she is "kinder" to herself.
"I've realised it's not that my brain is wrong - it's just different," Kimberley added. "I don't process or interpret things the same way others do. That always felt like a problem.
"But now, it just feels like a difference."
ADHD describes a condition where the brain "works differently to most people", the NHS clarifies, and it is linked with challenges concentrating and remaining still.
The symptoms generally fit into three main groups: inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Signs include becoming easily distracted, finding it hard to organise your time and follow instructions, and misplacing items.
