Postpartum Depression & Stigma: You Don’t Need to Prove That You’re Worthy

By September 16, 2011

postpartum depression stigmaI got an email from a mom this week who, in her story of frustration over the lack of help for postpartum depression, made sure to let me know how successful she is.

She’s smart. She has a great job. She makes good money, she told me.  Her words struck me.  How many of us, when seeking help for our mental illness, feel we have to make sure people know we are competent individuals?

I know I did.  I felt that I had to prove to people that I was still worthy.

Hey doc, I may have postpartum OCD, but I swear I’m a good person.  I have a great title at work.  I was in the National Honor Society in high school.  I was in Who’s Who Among American Universities & Colleges. I’m intelligent.  I have a lot of achievements. Please don’t throw me in the trash heap …

[Read more...]

September 16, 2011 12:50 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Stigma

Time Magazine & “Psychotic Nut Job” Mothers

By January 4, 2011

"Psychotic nut jobs." That's the term used in a recent Time magazine Healthland piece about mothers who kill their newborns.

Time, have we not already been over the issue of mental health stigma and poor reporting with you?

Good grief. I'm appalled.

January 4, 2011 12:04 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Psychosis, Stigma

20 Things I NEVER Want To Hear Or Read Again, Postpartum Depression Edition

By September 14, 2010

stigmaHere are 20 things I don’t ever want to hear or read again about postpartum depression, and every other perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. (I have heard every single one of these, whether directed at me personally or in emails and comments from Postpartum Progress Readers who share their own stories with me.):

20 Things I NEVER Want to Hear or Read Again, Postpartum Depression Edition

1. Just [go for a walk/go out with your friends/have a drink] and you’ll feel all better.

2. If you just buy this book online, even though we don’t tell you what’s in it, you’ll learn the “cure” for postpartum depression.

3. In a news report on infanticide or any other child murder: She must have had postpartum depression.

4. Magazine or online article headline: 10 Easy Steps To Get Over PPD Now! (None of them will mention, of course, that getting over postpartum depression is not easy, and none of them will mention getting medical help.)

5. Women have been having babies for tens of thousands of years, and they got through new motherhood just fine. Toughen up.

6. I just finished my

Six-Word Memoirs of Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
Six-Word Memoirs of Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

14 Photos

Six Things You Should Avoid
Six Things You Should Avoid

. This must be what postpartum depression feels like.

7. Maybe postpartum depression is God’s way of letting you know you don’t have enough faith. I think you should pray harder.

8. Here’s some information on postpartum depression I’m supposed to give you. You’re probably not going to get it, though, so I wouldn’t pay too much attention to it.

9. Quitting breastfeeding is selfish. The baby’s health is so much more important than yours.

10. I know breastfeeding is really important to you, but you have to quit so you can be treated for PPD.

11. This is the exact medication and dosage I took for my PPD. Just take that and you’ll be OK.

12.I would never take antidepressants. You shouldn’t need that stuff to be a mother.

13. Here’s a prescription.(No mention of side effects. No mention that it may not work. No mention of therapy. No mention of follow up appointments.)

14. You’re just mad the baby is getting all the attention.

15. PPD is just a fad. Only spoiled, Western women get it, and now that it’s “popular” on the blogs, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

16. Can’t you see how lucky you are? You have a beautiful baby!

17.This will probably go away on it’s own, so don’t worry about it.

18. I wouldn’t talk about this with anyone. You don’t want them to think you’re crazy.

19. You don’t need to worry about your symptoms unless you’re having thoughts of harming your baby.

20. Postpartum depression isn’t real.

What would you add to this list? Put them in the comments section below!

Photo credit:  © Scott Griessel – Fotolia.com

September 14, 2010 8:06 am Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Postpartum Depression, Stigma

Questions About PPD Often Induce Shame & Reinforce Stereotypes

By August 19, 2010

Earlier this week, Katherine posted about The Oprah Show’s request for the stories of mothers with PPD. It seemed like a good opportunity to show the world another side of postpartum mood disorders, and I jump at any chance I have to do that. At Oprah’s website, I filled out a form with some personal information, and then had to write a short description of my experience with PPD. It had to be under 2000 characters long, which I found to be quite restrictive, but I made it work. I expected that to be the end of it.

I was surprised when I received an email from an Oprah staffer the next day, asking for more specific information about my postpartum depression story. I was a little shocked, to be honest; I actually questioned the authenticity of the email, but eventually figured that even if it were some random person asking me these personal questions, sharing the information wouldn’t do any real harm to me or my family.

I started answering the questions in the email, which mostly had to do with the particulars of my diagnosis, and whether or not I was currently undergoing treatment for the disorder. These were easy to answer, as the information is pretty straightforward.

Then I got to the last few questions, and I read this:

After your child's birth…are you feel empty and sad instead of elated and excited?

And this:

Are you scared you were going to hurt your child or yourself?

These questions rankled a bit, to be honest. Aside from the glaring grammatical errors (which bother me more than I’d like to admit), I found the questions themselves to be indicative of the stereotypes of PPD moms I’ve come to expect from the general public.

I know that the questions were most likely meant to get a broad sense of what PPD is like and I should probably just let it go, but I can’t help myself. I’m bothered, especially in light of the catastrophe that was AOLNews’ coverage of the Duley murders in South Carolina.

It seems that people are intent on pigeonholing PPD as a crazy-making disease, one that turns women into baby haters, baby killers. The truth is, as with any disorder, there are so many shades of postpartum depression, a veritable rainbow of symptoms, circumstances, and treatments, none of which are exactly the same from woman to woman.

One reason I allow myself to be so offended is because it is precisely these types of questions that make women with PPD/A/OCD not want to speak out. Who wants to talk to a virtual stranger about the fact that they could’ve cared less about their child, only moments after said child was out of the birth canal? Not many people would be so bold.

Why is it that the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they hear PPD is “This woman probably doesn’t love her child,” or “This woman is probably going to hurt her child.”? It’s as though all the literature about the range of PPD symptoms simply doesn’t exist–in the eyes of the world, all PPD moms are a danger to themselves or their children. It’s no wonder many women fear speaking out.

There is another layer of offensiveness here, though, and I wrote as much in my email to The Oprah Show. Like I said above, there is a broad spectrum of symptoms associated with PPD, and mine had very little to do with wanting to harm my child. Not only that, but I was completely elated at the birth of my son–it wasn’t until later that I started to manifest symptoms of depression. Why couldn’t the question have just said, “What types of symptoms did you experience during your bout of PPD?” It seems like that courtesy doesn’t extend to people with mental illness–in our society, it’s perfectly acceptable to jump right in andassume every depressed mother wants to kill someone.

I’m not sure what it’s going to take to show the public that postpartum depression is a bonafide illness, and as such, can manifest in many different ways. Am I to feel like my case of PPD was less severe because I never wanted to harm my children? Should the women who did have harmful thoughts be made to feel like worse mothers than those who didn’t? The answer is no, of course, but these things are so easily inferred by the language that is now most commonly used among laypeople who have never experienced a mood disorder.

The response to the AOLNews piece yesterday showed me that the tide might be turning. To see so many women and men up in arms about an issue that is so often swept under the rug was like a gulp of cool water on a hot summer’s day. I pray that this trend continues, and the language changes, so that someday soon, the first thought that comes to mind when we hear about a PPD mom is “I’ll bet she’s a strong woman, to be able to live through that.”

Alexis Lesa

August 19, 2010 8:48 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Stigma

Bloggers & Tweeters Stand Up Against PPD Stigma From AOL News

By August 19, 2010

I am now going to take a moment to thank EACH and EVERY person (that I'm aware of, anyway) who spoke up on behalf of women with postpartum depression and spoke out against the AOL News story today, either on Twitter (by retweeting "Hey @aolnews You suck. And we're not letting you off the hook. Fix this NOW. #AOLhurtsmomswithPPD"), Facebook, or on their blogs, or at the very minimum shared the stories on Postpartum Progress, Her Bad Mother, BlogHer, PhDinParenting and elsewherewith others.

You are all a true treasure. It warms my heart to see so many who care about the emotional health of mothers and are willing to use your voices against the stigma that still exists. It's because of you that AOL took the horrible quote off of its website — a quote that NEVER should have been published in the first place. Thank you.

For anyone who thought I was somehow misreading or misunderstanding the meaning behind Pat Brown's quote, here is her response to Amy at Pretty Babies about the uproar:

"Generally speaking, I don't buy the chemical imbalance theory for any depression; I believe people just don't want to deal with real life issues and the fact that sometimes life is simply depressing and damn difficult. It isn't about chemical imbalance but tough times and our own issues.

Pat Brown
Investigative Criminal Profiler"

AOL should have offered a different opinion, or done some fact checking and perhaps never quoted Pat Brown at all. Postpartum depression is not always caused solely by chemical imbalance, to be sure. There are other risk factors that are social in nature, like domestic abuse for instance. But it's not because moms "don't want to deal with real life issues". Stuff it, Pat. And AOL, please take more care in publishing stories on this topic.

Also, may I say that this is why blogging and being on Twitter and Facebook is important. Because regular people like us have the power to make change. So awesome.

Also aBIG thank you to BlogHer for giving me such a wonderful additional outlet for this story, as they have so much wider reach than PP does. And aspecial thank you to Catherine and Annie, who also have much wider audiences than I, for helping make this viral.

Also a BIG thank you to all the commenters on my post and all the people on the Postpartum Progress Facebook Fan Page who spoke out against this as well.

Also, if you want to see a news organization handle this story with responsibility, stop in on Time magazine's interview with Diane Sanford. (Perhaps our influence on them last year made a difference!)

Also,Mom 101commented on my blog today. Just had to point that out. ;-)

THANK YOU to:

Catherine Connors, @herbadmother, Her Bad Mother (read her piece on this)

Erika Krull, Psych Central (read her piece on this)

Pretty Babies (read her piece on this, complete with a response from Pat Brown, the woman who was quoted in the AOL article)

Annie, @phdinparenting, PhD in Parenting (read her post on this)

Sara, Urban Moms DIY(read her post on this)

Sarah, @goonsquadsarah, Sara and the Goon Squad

Ceri K., @womenwantwhat

Julia H., @lynchmama

Amber, @atlantamom, Beyond Postpartum (read her post on this)

Joanne, Mixed Bag of Rant

Melissa A., @melissaforpeace

Ninotchka, @ninotchkab, NinotchkaBeavers.com

Denise T., @dtanton, Flamingo House Happenings

Bobbie C., @mymamaruns, My Mama Runs

Lisa, @workoutmommy, Workout Mommy

Julie H., @momslant, The Mom Slant

Jim T., @genuine,

"MommyGeek", @mommygeekology, Mommy Geekology 2.0

Matt, @dcurbandad

Denise, @dtanton

Roxane B., @roxane_bock, Roxane's Days

Brandi Weikle, @bweikle, Parent Central

@anderzoid

Laura F., @lozzi84

Lindsay G., @linzlovesyou, Birdsiviews

Ashlee, @shleemama, Everything About Shlee

Torrie, @torrie, Shifting Life

Corin Zander, @corinzander

Kat, @mrslltkings, LivingLike the Kings

Melissa D., @refashionista, Refashionista

Amy B., @amyrhoda

Ashley H., @ashhan123, Confessions Of a First-Time Mom

Walker K., @allbelly, All Belly Birth Services

A E Summers, @ausummers, Kusali to Pray

Maria, @amotherworld, A Mother World

Sally, @bluekstudio, The Blue Kimono

@barelymommy, Barely Mommy

Alena, @alena29, Charmingly Chandler (read her post on this)

Kimberly M., @momgosomething, All Work & No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something (read her post on this)

Ivy, @ivyshihleung, Ivy's PPD Blog (read her post on this)

Miranda, @notsuperjustmom, Not Super Just Mom (read her post on this)

Lauren H., @unxpctdblessing, My Postpartum Voice (read her post on this)

Sera, @chaoticmama, Laughing Through the Chaos

Andi S., @judgmntlhippy, Confessions of a Judgmental Hippy

Ariel S., @arielsandifer, Nothing Witty

Erica W., @momsurvival, The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms

Schwandy, @schwandy, It's Not Me It's You

Pualani S., @puasaurusrex, Dino Momma

Sidnie, @greenenough4me, Green Enough For Me

Melissa, @PBinmyhair, Peanut Butter In My Hair

Sarah S., @schubie71, Mama Sarahndipity

"Gardenmom", @gardenmom29, Garden Mom

Christina D., @mz_duck

Emily E., @designhermomma, DesignHER Momma

Maria M., @mariamelee, Mommy Melee

Growing Your Baby, @growingyourbaby

Samantha H., @shines

Sam, @temptingmama, Temporarily Me

John Grohol, @docjohng, @psychcentral

Heather H., @skinnysushi, Skinny Sushi

Iva T., @iva_tanackovic

Catherine, @daydreamymama, Daydream Parenting

Jamee, @517butterfly, A New Kind of Normal

@themommymarch, The Mommy March Blog

Greta B., @gretablau, Middle Aged Jock

Victoria M., @veamason, The Mummy Chronicles(she's in LABOR and took the time to use her voice!)

Vinajoy B., @mamavina, A Nourishing Home

Liz, @ehiwv, Perilous Domesticity

Heather, @heada,

A, @thebluemoongirl, One Foot Stuck

Rachel B., @boldrach4x, Not Just A

Lisa C., @lisacurcio, Our Happy Nut House

Aurelia C., @aureliacotta, No Matter How Small

@themommymarch, The Mommy March

@d20Blonde

Kim, @kimworld, The World According to Kim

Tammy P.. @rntammyp, Nurse's Notes

@thefeministbreeder, The Feminist Breeder

Arwyn, @raisingboychick

@rebehonig

@JLYoungsma, The Doe or the Deer

Paig, @vpbaker, Prone to Wander

Tamara, @unexperiencedmom, Blog Conference Newbie

Mandy M., @mandymooreblogr, The Real Mandy Moore

Sara E., @smola04, The Covered Wagon (read her post on this)

Kristen L., @kristenliberty

Joia F., @joiafarmer

Katie F., @kfoutz

Andrea, @goodgirlgonered

Cassaundra B., @radicaLactivist

Adrienne, @nostylepoints, No Points For Style

Kim, @glitterandgray, The Glitter and the Gray

Deb, @misssueburbia, Missives From Suburbia

Kate, @beantownkate

Jen, @theremotejen

Amie B., @zurimama, Izzie and the Beast

Kathy M., @kathyamorelli

Emily, @theEmily_B, Aprons & Heels

Chris, @tessasdad, Stay At Home Dad in Lansing

St. Louis Smart Mama

Lori, @icangrowpeople, I Can Grow People

Katie, @ksluiter, Sluiter Nation

Rachel, Racheous

If I left you out, it's not on purpose. It's just that my Tweetdeck was a bit overloaded today.And if you wrote a post, I can link directly to it if you send me the link. Thanks.

Have I said thanks?

August 19, 2010 12:02 am Filed Under: PPD in the Media, Stigma

AOL News Story Makes Outrageous Comments About Postpartum Depression

By August 18, 2010

How many posts am I going to have to write? How many letters to the editor are people going to have to send? How many advocates shouting down the stigma will it take?

AOL News, we have aMAJOR problem. Since you have the word “news” in your name, one might think you are serious journalists. Or at the very least, semi-serious journalists. Now it is clear to me that some of you shouldn’t be writing at all.

In your story on the recent murder of two boys in South Carolina you quote an “expert” who I find unbelievably offensive. I am outraged.

“Most women who suffer depression after their children are born are suffering from post-how-did-I-get-stuck-with-this-kid, this body, this life? They may be depressed, but it is their situation and their psychopathic personality that brings them to kill their children, and not some chemical malfunction.”

PPD is a “crock”? “Most women who suffer depression after their children are born…?” What? Are you serious? Who the heck are you Pat Brown, and exactly what expertise do you have on postpartum depression? Based on that comment, you can’t possibly know the first thing about it. You can’t possibly know an eighth of the first thing about it. And AOL? You’re complicit in this spreading this awfulness. How dare you not check withreal experts,or provide a balanced view? Does the writer of this story, David Lohr, have an editor?

Honestly, I could throw up.

Do you know how many women suffer in silence because of bullshit stories like these? How many women can’t reach out for help for a REAL illness because of this kind of ignorance? I wonder how many new families you have negatively impacted today by this completely mean-spirited and off the mark story.

First, not every mother who harms her child has PPD, or psychosis for that matter. Most don’t.

Second, we have no way of knowing why this mother did what she did, except for her own comments.

And third …

Third, you suck. Out loud.

Shame on you.

SHAME ON YOU.

***

Update at 11:15: So it took about an hour and a half from when this was first posted at 9:43am. An editor has now removed the quote I cited above, which I assure you did exist, and has added the following statement:

Editors’ Note: This story was revised to remove opinions from a criminal profiler about post-partum depression. We’ll be updating the story with more background and context on this tragic story later today.

Not enough for me AOL. I would like an apology to all mothers.

Update at 11:56: Just so I’m making sure I’m not being misunderstood, I’m not commenting on the case of Duley. What she has admitted to is awful, and I have no idea what led her to it. What concerns me is that AOL would allow a blanket statement about PPD — and it was a blanket statement — that is stigmatizing and uninformed to be made. Even if this mother committed infanticide in part because shewas psychoticor had some other clinical mental illness, that doesn’t justify saying that women who have depression after childbirth are just disappointed in their new lives. It doesn’t.

August 18, 2010 9:43 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, PPD in the Media, Stigma

Moms Respond to “Happy Pills”

By August 12, 2010

Postpartum Progress would be nothing without you. Yes, you. I'm pointing right at you. Can you see me pointing?Your comments, your input and your thoughts are what makethis placegreat. I love how each of you brings something different to the table.

Earlier this week I wrote about the concept of "happy pills", and many of you made such great comments I wanted to make sure everyone saw them. I'm going to highlight and respond to some of them here.

Lissa said:

I have always hated it when people say "being happy is a choice", because when I have been in the throws of depression, it is just not an option to "pull myself up by my bootstraps" and be happy. I really appreciate your explanation of how mental illness hid the choice from you.

I'm glad you made that point. Happiness is definitely a choice, but only when the choice is available for you to even make. The choice was taken away from me when I had postpartum OCD until I received effective treatment and I eventually got it back.

Badmummy said:

I use the term 'happy pills' to describe my anti-depressants …I say it tongue-in-cheek though, because the doctors and pyschiatrists (oh so many) that have prescribed these various medicines seem to think that they'll do just that – make me happy.

And Julie also said she hasreferred toher prescription as"happy pills" in order to make light of the situation:

I used the term, myself, when I was on antidepressants but not because they made me happy but, rather, because I preferred the euphemism to the actual word "antidepressants" …

I hope my post didn't make those of you who do use the term feel bad in any way. I was just trying to point out the fact that I don't like when people say it to denigrate the need for or usage of medication as treatment for postpartum depression. And plenty do.

Joan pointed out what a lot of us feel about our treatment. We weren't fooled into thinking that somehow medication would make our lives magically better or perfect.

As one who has tried multiple meds, waiting for the right one, I have never expected that they would make me instantly "happy" or remove the stress that a new baby brings. Rather, I just hope to live a life without feeling like a cell phone on vibrate from anxiety and without the crushing weight of a heavy, Army-style, wet felt blanket that depression can wrap around you and squeeze tightly and feel like it's taken everything from you. So, if a med can make me live my life without those horrible feelings – than that is what my son deserves.

Finally, I just loved this point from Christina:

No, they don't make you deliriously happy but I'm a more sane person thanks to them. This from a former anti-medication hippie. I still love my farmer's markets and what not but I'm not willing to suffer to prove a point.

All of the comments were great, not just the few I've pointed out here. So go back and check them out if this subject interests you!

Also, click here for more information on medication and postpartum depression.

August 12, 2010 10:09 am Filed Under: Medication, Stigma

Postpartum Depression & the Stigma of “Happy Pills”

By August 10, 2010

I heard someone use theterm "happy pills"the other day, and it really stuck in my craw. I knew, of course, that they were referring to antidepressants.

What is a happy pill, exactly? I have taken antidepressants, as you know, and I haven't experienced any suddenneed to traipse around the meadow singing songs. I may be on Cymbalta for my OCD, but last time I looked it didn't lead me to float on air, breeze through life and handle everything with aplomb, come what may.

When I hear "happy pills", I can't help but think of Amy Adams in the Disney movie "Enchanted".(see above)

Is this how you feel when you're on Prozac? Or Zoloft? Or Lexapro?

I didn't think so.

I think some people throw around the phrase "happy pills"as a way to stigmatize one of the treatments for depression. It's a not-so-covert way of making those of us experiencing a serious mental illness feel bad and question ourselves if we take medication for treatment. To make usfeel like we are taking illicit drugs, and make us fear the judgment of the ones who don'tNEED happy pills in order to live their lives. You don't have to look far to find headlines like this one from Ladies Home Journal: "Are We Hooked On Happy Pills?"

While pondering this, I came upon an article from Reason magazine by Maia Szalavitz entitled "In Defense of Happy Pills".

"Unlike in any other area of medicine, treatments that reduce pain and suffering, rather than being welcomed as miraculous breakthroughs, often are denigrated as 'quick fixes.' They're viewed as band-aids that cover up, but do not solve, the real problem–only marginally more acceptable than illicit drugs."

While I don't agree with all of Szalavitz's conclusions in the article — for instance, I personally think talk therapy can help people gain the tools necessary to cope with underlying problems, which is something medication can't do — I do agree with this one:

"Most important, the backlash against antidepressants may discourage people they would help from trying them by reinforcing the sense that there is something fundamentally suspect about turning to drugs for assistance in coping with life."

I reject theposition that takingpsychiatric medication is always unnecessary and thatmothers with postpartum depression areonly doing it sothey can be happy rather than deal with the tough issues of parenting. Taking medication was, for me, part of my recovery from an unwanted and horrible illness that I didn't cause and needed to get over as quickly as possible so that I could be a mother to my new baby. The pillsdidn't make me happy. They didn't take away the need to deal with my problems. They didn't diaper or clothe or feed my child. They simply allowed me to dothose thingswithout being crushedinside the massive, oxygenlessblack holeof PPOCD.

Happiness is a choice. Unfortunately, when I had postpartum OCD, the choice to be happy was taken away, hidden from me by my illness. Once I got better, partially because of medication but also because of therapy and support from friends and family, I got that choice back. But only the choice. At that point I then had to decide whether I wanted to be happy. Even though I'm fine now, I still have an opportunity every day to choose to be unhappy too. I can focus on the parts of my life that suck, or I can be grateful for the parts of my life that are pretty damn good.

I am happy by choice. Pills don't have ANYTHING to do with that.

August 10, 2010 9:28 am Filed Under: Medication, Postpartum Depression, Stigma

One Warrior Mom Stands Up Against Postpartum Depression Stigma

By August 2, 2010
Postpartum Progress reader Katie wrote this on her blog today, and I wanted to share it here. Way to go Warrior Mom!
stig-ma (stig-muh)
  1. a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation
  2. Medicine/Medical
    1. a mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defect or disease.
I am just going to throw this out there. I think there is a stigma against mental disorders, or disorders of mental health or however you want to say it. I was reading Postpartum Progress again, and a post Katherine wrote really got me thinking. She was pleading with the media to please stop assuming every single hurt child out there must have a mom suffering from PPD.
It got me thinking. Really thinking. What was behind the half-smiles and “You’ll get through this” I heard when I confessed my diagnosis? At the time I was so glad to have an answer, a reason for feeling my world spinning. The sleepless nights, the racing thoughts, the utter heartbreak, they all had a reason. And best of all, labeling it with a diagnosis, from a doctor no less, made it seem less my fault. I felt better telling people it was PPD. It’s the hormones! I am not really crazy, this just happens to some women after they have a baby. It’s completely out of my control. And you won’t judge me right? Because it’s not like I am some knife-wielding psychopath. But wait.
I was being judged. Looking back I whipped out my diagnosis to almost anyone who asked how I was doing. I was in survival mode. And in that mode saying it out loud, I have PPD and PPA, was like a salve to my gaping wounds. Little did I know what probably most people were thinking. Those looks, sometimes of pity, were also sometimes of fear. I am not sure if it was fear that I could lash out at any minute, fear that I was, in fact, crazy, or worse, fear that I was going to harm my child. Looking back, I wish I would have kept my diagnosis closer to the vest. Not because I am ashamed of it, at all! But because I just don’t feel like society as a whole is accepting of mental illness yet. Even I am not sometimes, honestly. I got a letter in the mail the other day from my life insurance company, who had contacted my former employer. In my employee file it is listed that I didn’t return to work after the birth of my daughter due to “Major Depressive Disorder”. No, no I thought, I wasn’t depressed in the traditional sense, I wasn’t really crazy, it was just hormonal. I had Postpartum Depression, completely different. My file needs to be corrected, I didn’t have Major Depression. Turns out, the DSM-IV doesn’t specify. And neither should I.
Reading Katherine’s article was informative. But it really got me thinking. What can we do to lift the stigma? Is it enough to know that I have a healthy, thriving daughter? A daughter who crawls over to me and plants the sloppiest kisses on my cheek. A daughter that I would never have hurt, ever. What can be done to lift the stigma placed on all mental disorders? Education? Getting the word out? For now I will do my part.
My name is Katie and I suffered from PPD and PPA aka Major Depressive Disorder, single episode in full remission, Anxiety Disorder related to Major Depression. I was previously mentally healthy, with no major risk factors.
It can happen to anyone, at anytime. I pray no one ever has to go through what I did, but if I know of someone who does I will not judge them. I will not for one minute. I will simply listen, and give them a hug. And support them.
August 2, 2010 12:27 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Stigma, Warrior Moms

Media Alert: STOP Tying Murder to Postpartum Depression

By July 29, 2010

Members of the media, I implore you. Please stop assuming that every time a woman kills her child it must be because she has postpartum depression. Not every murder of a child committed by a woman has to do with a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. In fact, generally speaking, almost no infanticides are carried out by women with PPD or postpartum anxiety, while at the same time there are some (but certainly not all) that are carried out by women with postpartum psychosis.

Why must you IMMEDIATELY bring up PPD upon every new incidence of child homicide? Could you not wait 5 minutes and try to find out more about the person and her situation before mentioning PPD? Could you not take the time to inform yourselves that women with PPD don't commit infanticides, with perhaps rare exceptions?

First, we've got Kyron Horman's stepmother, who the media has assumed out loud has PPD and is responsible for the fact that Kyron has been missing for weeks. ABC reported that "while there is no confirmation of their claim, Kyron's parents said they believe postpartum depression could be a factor linking the stepmother Terri Horman to Kyron's disappearance."The headline "Is Kyron Horman's Disappearance Tied toStepmom's Postpartum Depression?" was then spread out across the internet.

Terri Horman was 19 months postpartum when Kyron disappeared. Perhaps she did have PPD, and perhaps it went untreated or her treatment was ineffective. Perhapsshe eventually became psychotic. Perhaps she waspsychotic before she ever had a baby. Perhaps she is responsible for Kyron's disappearance. I don't know. Neither does the media. Yet they still feel comfortable continually jumping to the conclusion that these things happen because of postpartum depression. They don't realizethis makes women with PPD needlessly suffer, as they become scared for their lives and horrified by themselveswhen the truth is 99.whatever% of them will never do anything to harm anyone, and aren't in danger of doing so.

Now we've got the woman in France whose 8 babies were found buried in her backyard. So the first thing CNN does — in it's very first story on the case of which I'm aware — is go find someone who will say it could be because of PPD.

"Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford told CNN that very little was known about the circumstances of infanticide because it was a taboo subject …

Postnatal depression could also be a possible contributory factor, she said."

Maybe. Maybe not. The woman, Dominique Cottrez, has admitted to killing them and says it's because she just didn't want any more children. No mention of depression.

I just wish there wasn't an automatic correlation made between murder and PPD. Every. Single. Time.

How about you?

Update: Thank you, New York Times, for not speculating.

Click here for more on the topic of postpartum depression & how it is covered by the media. It's usually not very pretty, I warn you.

July 29, 2010 2:40 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychosis, PPD in the Media, Stigma
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