MARTINSBURG — Tiffany Dorey was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis shortly after giving birth.
During her long and winding road to treatment, Dolly suffered with no diagnosis, and after successfully treating her illness, she began her journey to writing a book to help others.
Unfortunately, Dolly only realized she had the condition after being arrested by police for suspected drunk driving and drug use, and was also charged with child neglect after suffering a psychotic episode while driving with her children in the car.
After her first incarceration on criminal charges and time in a psychiatric hospital, Dolly self-published a book called “A 21-Day Spiritual Journey to Find Inner Peace.” At the facility in Weston, Dolly had plenty of time to read the Bible, which staff provided for her.
“I read them all,” she said, adding that although she had previously read a little at a time and attended church regularly, there was little to do at the facility other than read. “I feel as if God is speaking to me, telling me to do something to help other people.”
Her book is the result of that spiritual prompting and is comprised of 21 chapters representing 21 Days to Peace. Each chapter tells her own story and poses questions that encourage readers to work towards inner peace through their own journaling.
Dolly said writing the book was a form of therapy in itself as she also continues to treat her own illness.
“I am currently undergoing treatment and taking medication to control my mental illness,” she said.
By definition, the most severe symptoms of postnatal psychosis tend to last between two and 12 weeks, and recovery can take six to 12 months. Treatment and support are necessary, and Dolly says she has received it on her journey to better mental health.
“I had to uproot my life and change everything,” the young author said, describing his road to recovery.
She explained that writing the book has also been very therapeutic; for her, writing is an important part of expressing her feelings.
“I want to raise awareness of mental health issues because I suffer from them myself,” Dolly said, explaining why it was important for her to write the book. “It’s an ongoing battle that needs to be fought.”
Dolly is currently studying for a degree in Criminal Justice and said she also wants to continue working to help people recognise mental health issues – in particular, she wants to raise awareness of the need for police officers to receive training on mental health issues so that their assumptions aren’t necessarily due to substance abuse.
Dolly said she hopes to eventually work as a probation officer and continue helping others.
