You should see my inbox these days! I can't keep up! There is a LOT going on.
This is a link to a good article that just came out of the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association this week. No real new news, but it's nice to see the recognition of perinatal mood disorders as a spectrum disorder, and the fact that onset can occur anytime throughout the first year postpartum.
This is a link to a new book called "Crazy In America: The Hidden Tragedy of Our Criminalized Mentally Ill". It sounds like it could be good, and similar to Pete Earley's book called "Crazy", which I absolutely loved.
I've added another beautiful survivor mom to our Surviving & Thriving Mothers' Photo Album. Thanks Shannon for sending me the picture.
Here's a link to a great editorial from Newsday by Sandra Wolkoff. One highlight that reminds us we just don't get over this in a day:
"Frequently, women convince themselves that any slight improvement is a sign that recovery is around the corner. When the black clouds of despair return hours or days later, or another medication seems to prove ineffective, they feel like failures."
Here's a link to a recent story that appeared on the NBC affiliate in San Diego about the Michael Spangler, husband of Annie who committed suicide three years ago after suffering from postpartum depression. I'm so sorry for his and his little boy's loss, especially when we all know these tragedies are completely unnecessary.
Here's a link to a story from last week in Chicago about Tonya Vasilev, who was found mentally insane for the killing of her two children. She had suffered depression since childhood, and had been diagnosed with postpartum depression. The judge said he felt comfortable finding her insane because of the expert medical testimony, thus Tonya will now receive lifelong commitment to a mental health facility rather than prison or the death penalty. (Trust me, this doesn't mean I'm comfortable with those sweet children being killed. I can think of nothing more awful and tragic. But we need to work harder to treat and protect the mentally ill so that things like this don't happen.)
Margaret Trudeau, the ex-wife of the late prime minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, spoke up about mental health recently and the importance of mental health check-ups to all Canadians. Trudeau herself suffered from postpartum depression. Here is a link to the story.
