Time magazine has published an article about the MOTHERS Act and postpartum depression. Written by Catherine Elton and initially entitled "The Melancholy of Motherhood" (now renamed "Should All Mothers Be Screened for Postpartum Depression?"), it is full of inaccuracies and misstatements of fact. Mothers and experts alike are understandably disappointed that such an esteemed publication wouldn't dothe properresearch.
Timecompletely blew it. The editors should really be ashamed of themselves for allowing an article on a topic that they clearly knew so little about to be published:
They state that it is highly unlikely for anyone who hasn't had previous bouts with depression or anxiety to get postpartum depression. Wrong.
They state that the MOTHERS Act is diving psychologists. Wrong.
They state that PPD screening (which of course is not mandated in the MOTHERS Act, but hey, why not use a red herring?!) will lead to mothers being prescribed medication unnecessarily. Huh? Wha?
They misinterpret the findings of the one study they use in the article. Wrong again.
They only interview a mom who is against screening. They conducted other interviews with moms who are survivors of postpartum depression and support screening, but Time didn't feel it was necessary to include their voices for balance.
More to come …
P.S. If you haven't already written to them to express your displeasure, you should. Letters@time.com If you'd like to send me your letter I will be happy to share it on Postpartum Progress.
You can bet my anger was triggered by this article, and immediately wrote to the editor (and author). Not believing my comments would get through to them (they probably weed out stuff like this) or if they did, they would just ignore it like they did my interview with the author, I posted my thoughts to my blog…after all, that's what my blog's for, right? Writing is very therapeutic, indeed! The more people that write in to complain, the more likely something will be done about it (though don't hold your breath).
When I read the article I was fuming. Believe me, I intend to formulate a letter to the editor.
I'll be reading that article and writing in to express my disappointment as well. What a shame.
Thank God for Time Magazine, I understand the "Expert" that was quoted in the article has ties to the drug companies. Considering the Subjective Nature and the lack of an accurate test, I find it interesting that you all would get so upset about people who would actually oppose the Mother's Act.
Well you can count our organization into the camp that opposes such a far reaching grasp of parental rights! Great Going Time Magazine! It is about time the underdogs reeived a fair hearing! Informed Consent consists of all the information, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why not promote all the deaths associated with your proposed mental health treatments. Andrea Yates was treated and look at what she did to her kids! Stop Promoting Misleading and dangerous treatments. With great respect for human rights and free will of man!
Ablechild,
We all agree to informed consent being a necessity. Read the open letter to Time, which addresses your accusations that all this is subjective in nature, due to lack of accurate tests, promoting misleading & dangerous treatments, not respecting human rights, and causing deaths to mothers & their children.
I don't feel that I know enough about the MOTHERS act to comment on its pros and/or cons. But as a mother who did surrvive PPD, I implore you: Please do not use Andrea Yates as an example in this arguement. Niether she, nor her family heeded advice of the mental health professionals. She ignored the advice of her physycians not to have any more children and instead took herself off her meds and got pregnant with Mary, her youngest. There were many factors in that particular case that you either are ignorant of, or choose to ignore. Please, please as a service to mothers who are battling this incidious condition, don't speak on that which you have no clue about!
Well, if not Andrea Yates, how about Melanie Blocker-Stokes? Perfect example of how the psychiatric industry did nothing to help, and all to hurt.
The poor women was drugged, shocked, forcibly hospitalized by a group of people whose idea of "helping" the insane is to make them even more insane (with the help of painful gadgets and mind-altering drugs.) If it wasn't so sad, it would be comedic that the Mother's Act is a bill that uses her as a mascot, especially when she did not benefit from the very suggestions contained IN the Mother's Act.
There is no physical backup evidence for PPD, there is no physical proof of ANY mental disorder. After all, if there was proof that these "diseases" existed in the brain, a psychiatrist would be considered a NEUROLOGIST, don't you think?
You guys are supporting the funding and education of millions of people about a non-existent disease at a time when the economy is doing poorly. Not to mention – with the education the Mother's Act plans to put out there, what do you think mother's will do? They will look for treatment. In what form does treatment come in? Just watch a half hour of television and see – Abilify, Zoloft, Celexa. You don't see ads for psychotherapy, you don't see ads for counceling. This bill will lead to the unnecessary and DANGEROUS drugging of mother's all over the U.S.
I applaud TIME magazine for showing the truth of the situation. I applaud TIME magazine for telling the story of Amy Philo, one of the FORTUNATE victims of the psycho-pharma industry. If any complaint, I would suggest they do one interview a week with a psychiatric victim. Perhaps then you guys would get the full mass of what you are supporting.
How is anything "truth" when it only looks at one side of a situation? Seems self serving, not truthful.
And your non existant disease nearly completely destroyed my life. But thanks for playing.
I just discovered your site through Catherine Connor's post in response to the article. While I do think that medical professionals need to be more cautious in prescribing medications–including following up about side effects–and that treatment needs to have a variety of approaches, I do believe this act is all about providing access to information, support, and a variety of treatments.
I myself was in denial about my PPD for three years. I am one of the women who has a history of depression. However, I was so "high functioning" and so able to disguise the truth, no one figured it out until my life simply fell apart. And because I had such shame about not meeting all the expectations I had for myself and thought the world had for me, it took bottoming out to make me start facing the truth of how depressed I really was.
It didn't help that my husband thought–and still thinks–that people (and this includes me, of course) shouldn't need help to deal with life. This includes therapy and most definitely drugs. This is one of the many reasons we are most likely getting a divorce.
I finally got the courage to write about some of my PPD story for the first time on my blog. I hope someone else who is hiding from the truth might read it and realize how dangerous that is.
Thank you for being so open and brave about this topic, one that (as I can see from the comments above) is still so stigmatized in our society.
Well which side of the situation shows both sides?
No amount of debate changes the lack of evidence to support PPD. And as for the near-destruction of your life due to something intangible, I suggest you look deeper, and more physical. It could save your life much more than a drug could.
Thanks, I just got a great kick out of your claims there is not such thing as PPD. Quite hysterical!
I am sorry that some people would rather drug their children then find a real solution.
I am not saying the symptom's do not exist. Strange things happen, bodies go through changes, hormones go through changes, and emotions can fly off the rocker.
But perhaps some people should actually take a look into what physical evidence there is of the disease. You would find that there is none.
I hope you all realize drugging yourselves is, in fact, a form of suicide which, in your OWN BOOK, is not a good thing. Save yourselves.
Bruyere,
You are contradicting yourself when you say that there are physical symptoms from the changes women go through during pregnancy and postpartum, and yet at the same time you are saying there is no physical evidence. Why don't you try to provide some more useful advice than to use your your scare tactics on women who are coming to this site in search of support for what they are going through. You are far from helping by attacking these women (and those like Katherine who dedicate so much time to try and provide support and information to so many women and their families).
Just to throw in my 2 cents….
There is proof that mental disorders are a physical disease. That is why most health insurance companies now offer behavioral health. They realize that if the mental aspect does not get treated, that the person's health will go downhill and they will be out more money in the long run.
I believe that we live in an over-medicated society, but I know from experience that PPD is a crippling disease. I sought help two times while I was suffering and was basically patted on the head and sent on my way. Medicine isn't the only answer to PPD and I think that those who ARE medicated should be monitored closely.