Domenica Calarco has delivered a very pointed message to her critics after revealing she was recently discharged from a mental health ward.
The Married At First Sight bride, 31, took to Instagram on Sunday to share artworks she produced during her stay at a Sydney facility.
One of the paintings bore the words, ‘Give me a break, c**ts’, painted above an image of a dog.
Calarco captioned the post, ‘During my 21 day stint in a mental health ward, art became my preferred form of self expression.
‘As soon as I started using colour, words and drawings to express my feelings, the real healing started.
‘Art is used as a healing strategy which started in the 1940’s when doctors started noticing individuals living with mental illness started to express themselves through drawings and other artworks.
‘Have you used #ARTTHERAPY?’ concluded the reality TV star.
Accompanying images showed Domenica in the ward showing off her artworks, alongside photos of other patients’ paintings.
Domenica Calarco (pictured) has delivered a very pointed message to her critics after revealing she was recently discharged from a mental health ward
The Married At First Sight bride, 31, took to Instagram on Sunday to share artworks she produced during her stay at a Sydney facility
The update comes just days after Calarco revealed that she has come off her antidepressants for the first time in 15 years.
She to Instagram last Thursday to share a video of herself from her 21-day stay at a private mental health facility in New South Wales.
Dom has spoken openly about her mental health struggles in recent weeks after suffering a ‘major depressive episode’, and has now detailed her medication changes.
In her latest video, Dom gave an insight into her ‘tough’ medication journey and told how she was coming off sertraline after feeling like the antidepressant wasn’t working anymore.
Sertraline is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the amount of serotonin in the brain.
Dom explained that her doctor was weaning her off sertraline for the first time in 15 years with a plan to ‘transition’ to a new antidepressant – which she has since started.
‘So this is the reality of changing medication,’ she shared. ‘Last night, my doctor, we had a meeting and we wanted to try and see if my old medication that I was on was actually working.
‘I just have felt for a while now that it hasn’t been working, so I was like I think we need to transition to something new. So that’s what we’re doing.’
Domenica admitted herself to a mental health facility after spiraling into depression following her time on MAFS.
The update comes just days after Calarco revealed that she has come off her antidepressants for the first time in 15 years
Calarco reactivated her Instagram page last week and offered a lengthy explanation of what she has been going through in a video taken at the facility on the day of her discharge.
‘It’s safe to say it’s been a little while. I wanted to take this moment to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with you all who’ve been with me through thick and thin,’ she began.
‘As many of you know I’ve been on a break for the past month to focus on my mental health. This journey has been incredibly challenging but also deeply transforming for me.’
Domenica seen here during her time on Married At First Sight
Dom said she needed the time to ‘heal, reflect and gain a better understanding of herself’ and thanked fans for their support during the difficult time.
The reality TV star explained how she had ‘spiralled into a deep depression’ over a month ago and ‘couldn’t see a way out’.
‘I had a lot of trauma that I didn’t work through from my childhood and I know that now. And then I went through a divorce in my 20s and then MAFS which in itself was an incredible experience but also quite traumatic,’ she shared.
‘I didn’t want to suffer with my mental illness in the way that I was upon reflection I realised that I was putting my happiness in the hands of other people.’
Dom vanished from the spotlight following criticism from Bachelor star-turned-podcaster Abbie Chatfield (pictured) over her podcast with controversial groom Jack Dunkley
Dom said she had ‘reached a point where I no longer wanted to suffer’ and started her journey towards happiness again with her stay at the mental health facility.
‘I’m in charge of my own joy and it’s time for me to enjoy my life again and realising that I’m happy with the person I’m becoming is just really life changing for me,’ she added.
Dom vanished from the spotlight following criticism from Bachelor star-turned-podcaster Abbie Chatfield.
The backlash arose after she and fellow MAFS bride Ella Ding hosted controversial groom Jack Dunkley on their podcast, Sit With Us.
If you have been affected by this story, call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or visit their website lifeline.org.au.
