A Stockport nurse had a psychotic episode two weeks after getting married - triggered by stressful work and crippling shift patterns.

Emily Smith, 39, was over the moon when she married wife Gemma, 43. But just two weeks later, the stress of her job caused her to enter a weeklong psychotic episode on Christmas Day.

As well as writing "reams and reams of nonsense", in the middle of the night, the nurse became convinced she no longer needed to take her anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication, which led to alarm bells from her wife and family.

Thankfully, after her medication was upped, Emily, who is mum to two children, aged eight and six, came out of psychosis, but was unable to return to work for three months, due to her condition.

After the episode, Emily was diagnosed with bipolar, and is now mostly able to control her symptoms, by taking her medication, and making sure she has nine hours sleep.

Emily, who is raising awareness of the fact that you can still live a full and happy life with bipolar said: "My wedding was the best day ever, but two weeks later I had a psychotic episode.

"I was a newly qualified staff nurse, and I was working on a really busy acute ward.

"The pressure of the work environment was too stressful and the shift patterns meant I couldn't take my medication at the same time, it really messed with my sleep.

"I went back home for Christmas, and by Christmas Day, I'd tipped into a psychotic episode.

"I remember thinking I was going to suddenly publish a book and quit my nursing job.

"I was writing reams and reams of nonsense through the night when I couldn't sleep.

"I thought I didn't need to take my medication anymore as I was completely fine.

"My wife was so anxious, as she'd never seen me like this before, but my parents were so calm and reassuring.

"We'd planned a trip to Thailand for our honeymoon, but I was too poorly to go.

"I grieved the fact that the psychosis had taken our honeymoon away from us.

"When I first had these episodes, I never thought I would be able to have a marriage or have children, but I've proven that I can.

"When I was growing up I didn't see anyone that had bipolar or psychosis, and was living a life, so I want to show that you can have a fulfilling life, and do things to keep yourself well."

Emily has struggled with her mental health throughout her life, first being admitted to hospital, at age 14, with severe depression.

She has been on anti-depressants since age 17 and anti-psychotics since her early 20s, and has had multiple episodes of severe depression with acute anxiety and psychosis, where she loses touch with reality.

"I can become really suspicious of people and think that people are about to get me or they're going to hurt me," she said.

"It's a bit like just living in a nightmare and not really waking up.

"I tend to have quite a decent amount of stability for a few years and then an acute psychotic episode, which would then last between, a few days or maybe a week until I get treatment for it."

In December 2015, Emily was a newly qualified nurse and was working on a busy acute ward.

She was working long unsociable hours, and had changing shift patterns, meaning she wasn't able to take her anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication at the same time every day.

The shift pattern was also messing with her sleep, as she would be working a late shift one day, and an early shift the day after, and the pressure of the job was making her increasingly stressed.

A few weeks after her wedding, Emily's symptoms progressed, and she began to have a "nervous tummy" as well as heart palpitations and dizziness.

Despite her lack of sleep, she also began to feel extremely wired, as though she had loads of energy.

She went back to her parents' house for Christmas, where she became manic, and became convinced she was going to write a bestselling book.

She would write "nonsense" for hours and hours into the night, and became convinced she didn't need her medication anymore, as she was "fine".

By Christmas Day, Emily had tipped into psychosis, and her parents and wife Gemma, realised something was really wrong.

Gemma had never seen Emily during an episode, so was left extremely anxious by her wife's behaviour, but thankfully, her mum and dad weren't phased, as they had helped her through many previous episodes.

They phoned up her psychiatrist and were able to get Emily put on a higher dose of medication, which helped her to come out of psychosis, after a week.

Emily and Gemma had to postpone their honeymoon trip to Thailand for a year, as she was too unwell to travel, but instead were able to enjoy a relaxing weekend in Wales.

It was three months before Emily was able to return to work, and she switched to a job that had more regular hours, and no night shifts, to try and prevent herself from going into psychosis again.

After Emily's psychotic episode, she was diagnosed with bipolar, and her bipolar medication helps to keep her condition stable.

However, since 2015, she has had a number of other episodes, including when her son was unwell in 2020, as she had to spend the night with him in hospital, and was unable to take her medication.

This caused her to become extremely paranoid that everyone was against her, and trying to hurt her.

She also had postnatal depression following the birth of her first child, and perinatal depression before the birth of her second child.

"It hasn't been all been smooth sailing, but the more years that go by and the more episodes I have the more I learn what triggers it and what can help keep myself well," she said.

"I monitor my sleep and my alcohol intake; I'm constantly making sure I don't relapse."

Now, if one of their children needs to go to hospital, Gemma will take them, so that Emily can stay at home, and make sure she can take her medication.

By Olivia Stringer SWNS

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