#PPDChat 01.29.15: Just The Facts

PPDChat topic 051611It’s that time again! Every so often, #PPDChat goes back to basics and talks about the signs and symptoms of the issues of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders. It’s important because many folks aren’t familiar with the nuances of some of the symptoms. Or they associate PMADs with the things they hear in the news.

This chat battles two fronts  – informing as well as disarming any stigma that is out there.

So we’ll see you tonight (blizzard and all) at 8:30pm ET for an informative chat all about the signs and symptoms of a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder!

#PPDChat 01.19.15: Love & PPD

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Love. It envelops you and claims you whole, much like a cozy comforter on a cold winter night. Then, reality rips the comforter away and brings with it a freezing breeze. Struggle as you may, you just can’t get the comforter back. So, you fight to do your best with what you have.

This is what love is like during a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder. We pull away because we are working to keep ourselves warm (read: sane) and do not have the ability to keep those around us warm because we are barely staying afloat. So our loved ones watch, helplessly, as we fight ferociously (or for some of us, drift away), along this confusing path.

How do we make love thrive during the time of PPD?

How can those of us who are struggling reach out to those around us?

How can those who love us dearly reach out to us without being afraid of further hurting us or stifling our progress?

Patience. Acceptance. Compassion. Mostly patience.

Join me tonight at #PPDChat on Twitter at 830pm ET as we navigate this roller coaster road of love in the time of PPD.

See you there!

Medication or Therapy?

In a very insightful piece at the NY Times in the Well section, “To Treat Depression, Drugs or Therapy“,  Dr. Richard Friedman, M.D., explores recent research which examined the manner in which people respond to either medication, therapy, or both.

It’s a question we hear a lot as we support women fighting their way through a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder. The concern is valid, for a variety of reasons. Breastfeeding mothers worry about what the medicine will do to their children. All mothers worry about the stigma about being on a medication. Therapy provides its own challenges with childcare and financial being the two primary ones.

So how do you choose? Why is it that what works for one doesn’t work for another?

Turns out, according to the research Dr. Friedman examined, it comes down to our brains. The research, led by Dr. Helen Mayburg of Emory University, holds great potential for successful treatment of those of us who struggle with mental health issues.

“Dr. Helen Mayberg, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University, recently published a study in JAMA Psychiatry that identified a potential biomarker in the brain that could predict whether a depressed patient would respond better to psychotherapy or antidepressant medication.”

Read that again. A biomarker. In the brain. This vein of research, which involves imaging the brain, may one day allow us to side step the arduous task of finding the right medication for our own situations.

Go read the article, which also touches briefly toward the end on Dr. Charles Nemeroff’s research regarding the treatment response of those who endured childhood trauma. (This is also very enlightening).

Mental health will always be a challenge. How our brain works affects everything we do, everything we are, everything we hope to be. It’s a fight to get it all done. But it’s a fight worth every single breath.

#PPDChat 01.05.15: New Beginnings

ppdchat-01-07-13A new year. New beginnings. Where to start? Resolutions? Baby steps? Intentions?

Wherever you decide to begin, join us tonight at we examine the necessity of going through your days with small intentions designed to snowball into larger achievements as you move through a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety diagnosis.

See you tonight at 830pm ET for the first #PPDChat of 2015!

For @JimGaffigan: 12 Days of Star Wars

Inspired by a tweet by Jim Gaffigan, here’s a parody of 12 Days of Christmas, but about Star Wars for his son who claims his favorite Christmas song is STAR WARS (smart kid):

On the first day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

A Droid in a sandy desert.

On the second day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Two jawa scavengers and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the third day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the fourth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the fifth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Five TIE fighters. Four Jedi Knights, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the sixth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the seventh day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the eighth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Eight Senators a-bilking, seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the ninth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Nine Tuskens dancing, eight Senators a-bilking, seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the tenth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Ten Siths-a-leaping, nine Tuskens dancing, eight Senators a-bilking, seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the eleventh day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Eleven Wookies fighting, ten Siths-a-leaping, nine Tuskens dancing, eight Senators a-bilking, seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.

On the twelfth day of Star Wars, my Yoda to me gave:

Twelve Biths drumming, eleven Wookies fighting, ten Siths-a-leaping, nine Tuskens dancing, eight Senators a-bilking, seven Gungans-a-swimming, six furry Ewoks, five TIE Fighters, four Jedi Knights, three Storm Troopers, two Jawa scavengers, and a Droid in a sandy desert.