Lowcountry nurse advocates for mental health after seeking treatment

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry nurse is advocating the importance of mental health after her own experience of struggles following the pandemic.

ICU nurse Danielle Duncan is back working at Trident Medical after she sought help for her mental health before it was too late.

The mom of three recently received two months of treatment for depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

Duncan experienced a slow progression of symptoms starting at the beginning of last year.

She says you don’t see it happening right away, but not until it becomes severe.

No motivation, sleeping more and eating less are a few things that continuously worsened for Duncan.

For her, she says the turning point was when her young children started to notice something wasn’t right and started asking questions.

When she found herself on the phone with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, Duncan knew it was time to get professional help.

“I went into in-patient psych rehab,” Duncan said. “Lots of group therapy, lots of learning how to handle your triggers, trying to identify what your triggers are, and so all of that together is what really made a difference.”

Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness in Ladson, opening in June, will expand treatment for mental health for those in the Lowcountry.

“By us being able to offer a continuum of different levels of care all in the same facility gives us a real feeling of no wrong door,” Live Oak’s Clinical Operations Director Melissa Camp said. “You come through the door, and we are going to figure out where you need to be and how to help you best.”

Duncan and Camp agree that mental health treatment looks different for everyone, but they say it starts with wanting to get better.

“You think you’re going to be fine if you do more self-care or do this and that,” Duncan said. “Stop making excuses, ask for help. Talk to your provider. Meds are great for some people; meds are not great for other people. Getting the different counseling can be good for some people, it may not be good for others, it just depends.”

Duncan says since returning to work last month, she still has her ups and downs but overall, she’s doing well.

She wants people to understand how important it is to ask for help when needed.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.