HUSBAND AND WIFE SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN RECOVERY
When the supportive spouse needs help too
Jordon Beenan and Jennifer Goodine, both 34, met in high school, trained as teachers, married, and had a son in 2014. In many respects, theirs is a typical love story. But together, they have battled mental health issues. Jordon suffers from bipolar disorder, while Jennifer suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of their son.
“For years, I’ve been dealing with the ups and downs of bipolar — working with my doctors to figure out an appropriate course of medication and ways I could live a healthy lifestyle and manage my symptoms,” says Jordon. “Becoming a father really threw me for a loop. I wasn’t confident about how to be a father and my bipolar symptoms were off the charts.”
He started putting on weight, so his doctor suggested the Metabolic Clinic at Whitby’s Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.
“Working with a dietitian and registered nurse, we explored the intersection between my mental and physical health. Together, they’ve helped me manage weight-loss-and-gain cycles,” says Jordon.
During all this, Jennifer was his biggest cheerleader, encouraging and supporting Jordon through his mental and physical challenges.
“With the birth of our son, I went through serious post-partum anxiety and depression that escalated quickly,” Jennifer recalls. “I wasn’t functioning well as a person or a mother. The public health nurse was great, but she could only do so much.”
Jennifer’s family doctor referred her to Ontario Shores’ Shoppers LOVE. YOU. Women’s Clinic, an outpatient service providing focused consultation to women with perinatal mood disorders and other reproductive issues that affect a woman’s mental health.
“I worked with a nurse practitioner, a mental health registered nurse and a psychiatrist. They developed a course of action, which started with me coming into the clinic twice weekly to learn coping skills and help me manage my anxieties. I went through talk therapy, where we would brainstorm about ways to manage my issues and see things differently. They also prescribed medications to help manage my symptoms and set me up in the clinic gym for regular personal fitness training.”
Today, Jennifer is well, still taking medication to manage her anxiety and checking in with her family doctor.
Throughout their journey, Jennifer and Jordon have felt supported by their caregivers. Their strongest supporters, though, have been each other.
“You hear a lot about how alone people feel when they are suffering with mental health issues,” Jordon says, “but there’s help out there, including from your loved ones. I’ve always had Jennifer and I’ve been able to help her too. Her inspiration and support has been enormous.”
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