EXCLUSIVE: Married At First Sight’s Domenica Calarco has opened up about her mental health struggles after spending 21 days in a mental health ward.
The 31-year-old is speaking out about her experience in a bid to help others, using her voice and platform to foster a safe space for followers to share their own experiences.
“When I went offline and did the 21 days in the mental health ward, I knew coming back online it was going to be difficult,” Domenica said in an interview with 9Entertainment.
“But when I shared my story, the outpouring of support and the little community that it created… when I was in hospital, we would do group therapy. This feels like a version of group therapy that I’ve created online.”
Dom entered a mental health retreat earlier this year after feeling an overwhelming sadness that she’d never felt before.
“It was the hardest but the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said, reflecting on her experience in the ward. “It was a voluntary admission, so I could have walked out any time. It was hard.
“Every day was uncovering new trauma and going through new pain, but by the end of it I had all of these new tools I could take home with me and continue to use.
“Now that I get to share that with people who maybe don’t have access to [checking into] a ward, or give people tips and tricks to help themselves on a daily basis – it’s really important to me and what I’m really passionate about moving forward.
“People say I’m brave being able to share my story, but actually the people that are giving me that space to be open and honest are the brave ones.”
Dom acknowledged how fortunate she was to have access to private health insurance to get the aid she needed, but understands it sadly isn’t the same case for others.
“There are obstacles to get into one of these places if you don’t have private health,” she said, calling for greater focus on equipping people with the tools to help those in need.
She also pointed out how many facilitates have long waitlists, and that it can be difficult for those living in a rural communities to get the help they need.
She added: “I’m hoping to partner with a charity that I can help moving forward and teach people about mental health first aid.
“The stigma with mental health is getting better, but I still think we have a long way to go. But being able to help someone when they say, ‘I’m not coping’ is so important. I don’t think we’re there yet.
While her Sit With Us podcast with Ella Ding recently came to a close, Dom – who has often shared her love for art online – revealed that she’s focusing on a new project in the near future.
“I am going to be doing something very special with my art,” she continued.
“Being in hospital, I really took to journalling and I’ve found a way I’m going to combine journaling and my artwork and that’s going to be coming very soon.
“Bigger things are happening – at the moment I’m just focusing and sharing that journey is part of my healing too.”