It’s too bad we’re not televisions. If we were, the government would make damn well sure we were working right. But at this point, it doesn’t seem that postpartum depression awareness is as important as making sure everyone in the United States knows about the transition to digital television.
It seems that every time I turn on the TV there is a public service ad from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Association of Broadcasters, DirecTV, Comcast or some other organization working hard to ensure I am completely clear that all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital on February 17, 2009.
Apparently making sure everyone can watch television is more urgent than the mental health of new mothers. I guess we should be grateful that we can just set our infants in front of the fully-operable TV while we go into the bathroom, close the door and cry our eyes out.
According to Broadcasting & Cable magazine, the Federal Communications Commission states that " … broadcasters collectively aired more than 1 million digital-TV transition announcements in the most recent quarter." There’s a special website — www.dtv.gov — with pages and pages of information, including publications, a glossary, information on the converter box coupon program, a shoppers guide and MUCH, MUCH more. From what I can tell, the government is spending $7 million to fund consumer awareness of this impending event, $5 million from the original budget and an additional $2 million added last June. Can you imagine how far that would go in eliminating the shame and stigma around perinatal mood disorders?
All I can say is: U.S. Senate, please pass the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act and fund research into and awareness of perinatal mood disorders. This Act was introduced in the Senate in May of 2007. It is time to act. I hope our Senators can agree that emotionally healthy mothers are more important than being able to watch "American Gladiators".
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Ugh! I agree 110%. I'm sick of the government wasting my money on unimportant causes. It seems the television industry has a lot more money for lobbying than the warrior moms! When will we get with "the program"?
Here here! If there were public service announcements, maybe I wouldn't have suffered as long, maybe my doctor (any one of the 6 I saw) would have been more aware that Post Pardum Depression is a real issue and would have informed me and been knowledgeable enough to treat me!
Yeah. TVs. Ranks (and rankles) right up there with Viagra. SENATOR Bob Dole telling everyone with a TV (see, tvs ARE important!) that his wanker wasn't working–that's important. …?!? My kids know what Viagra is, what it's for etc., and yet I meet moms regularly whose doctors are still not up to speed with PPD, in 2008.