Off went the pinging of my inbox this morning when Gwyneth Paltrow's e-newsletter for moms (called "Goop") came out. Everyone wanted me to know what this week's topic on Goop was … drumroll please … postpartum depression.
Thank you ladies for always looking out for me and sending me news! You are all THE BEST. You are "awesome possum" as my 4-year-old says.
As it happens, I'm a subscriber to GOOP so I saw the story this morning as well. Gwyneth shared a bit of her own story, as well as input from some physicians, but the real gem in the newsletter is an essay from Bryce Dallas Howard, actress in such movies as "Twilight: Eclipse" and survivor of PPD. Bryce's story and her description of the details is very compelling — I identify with it on so many levels. Normally, I'd share tidbits here, but I'd rather you follow the link above and read it in its entirety. I know you'll understand.
And now I'm going to say something that will probably be unpopular, which is that I wishGwyneth, or her team — whoever put this together — had gone a bit further.I want the BEST POSSIBLE for women who suffer. It was disappointing to me that no serious resources were offered. What if readers of GOOP felt after reading these stories that they needed help? Where should they go? There was no listing of PSI or Postpartum Progress or MGH Center for Women's Mental Health or the great blogs out there with writers who can point women to exactly where to go. That's too bad.It's amissed opportunity.
I'm a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm grateful that she spoke up in the past about her illness and that she continues to. Very glad. I just wish she or Bryce were able to or had the time todo more. Women could benefit immensely fromtheirreach.
For further enjoyment, here's how some of the celebrity & parenting media outlets covered today's story on Goop:
Babble(Thank you Babble & Rebecca Odes for offering Postpartum Progress as a resource to your readers!!)
MamaPop(offers PSI as a resource)
Click here for more on celebrities who've had postpartum depression and shared their experiences openly.
i read the goop newsletter, and i agree–there was no answer to the question "now what?". i really appreciated the fact that these celebrities are even willing to mention their experience with the disorder, since it is so stigmatized, especially in an image-centric place like Hollywood, but still. there was definitely a huge aspect missing from their piece.
I still appreciate their decision to come out. Many people are just figuring out that mental illnesses really exist. Also, because discrimination is both real and common, simply talking about it risks harming your career.
Of course, it's also true that your site does much more for people. That’s why I Am 1 in a Million ) – a coming-out campaign for people with depression and other mental illnesses – has named you a Hero! Participants join the campaign anonymously, and their identities are only revealed after membership has reached 1,000,000 members – one million people will reveal that they have mental illnesses at the same time. You are a campaign Hero because you have already taken the step of coming out, making it easier for others.
The purposes of the campaign are to help people feel comfortable enough to get treatment, to dispel common myths about people with mental illnesses, and create a powerful community that can stand up to discrimination and harassment.
Thank you!
—-No one can stop discrimination against people with mental illness. But a million of us can.