Pursuant to the post I wrote earlier this week on the myths perpetuated in the blogosphere by some moms who think motherhood is all wonderful and fabulous and perfect and that anyone who doesn’t think so is wrong, more moms who’ve had postpartum depression have weighed in. Check ’em out:
PPD is NOT Trendy from Peanut Butter in My Hair
Seems I Need to Be More Explicit About My PPD Symptoms So the Interwebs Will Believe Me from O My Family
this is me. angry. from depressionsandconfessions
Awesome, ladies!
It's interesting to me that the argument seems to be not just about whether or not PPD is trendy, but also about whether or not it is over-diagnosed. It makes me wonder if these Moms who think that it is both have put themselves into the shoes of a Mom with PPD. Do they have any IDEA how HARD it is to make that appointment? To have to talk about your feelings and symptoms two or three different times to two or three different people, go to that appointment… and have to repeat it all to that you already said to the receptionist to the nurse and then to the doctor–who in your head could call DCFS on you for all you know. You have to tell them how you've been feeling, what you've been thinking.? I wonder if they have any idea the kind of strength involved in rising above the guilt voices (you deserve this. You don't like your kid? You are SUCH a BAD MOM. If anyone knew how you felt they'd vote you out of this Mommy-gig) in our own heads to talk to someone else about the problem. My PPD was not as severe as some. But that part was HARD. On top of that do they have any idea how many CLUELESS health care providers are out there who don't just get out the scrip pad, but instead blow Moms off or say, "Well you can't be doing too badly if you got dressed and made it in here to talk to me today," (said to a freind of mine)?
My other thought as I read the posts and comments involved here was, Thank God my blog never got that kind of traffic.
i totally agree. going to a therapist was hard, partly because to everyone else i seemed so normal. i was so good at hiding the pain. even the therapist looked at me kind of funny because at my first appointment i had on a full face of makeup, had curled my hair, and was wearing my cute clothes. what he didn't know was that i didn't want to go to a mental health assessment looking like a crazy person.
thank you for the link, katherine. and for bringing light to this subject. i'm sick and tired of having to defend my diagnosis, but i will do it until the day i die if it means even one woman will get the help she needs because of my words.
xo