Monthly Archives: October 2007

Mental Illness Awareness Week

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In continued honour of mental illness awareness week, I am posting the EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Scale) here at Sharing the Journey. It is one of the standard screening tools for new mothers – and is not used often enough by practioners here in the States. 

If you are a new mother experiencing problems or know a new mother who is, please use this self screening tool or pass it on to someone who needs to use it by printing it for them. This particular version was found at www.wellmother.com.

Instructions for users:

  1. The mother is asked to underline the response which comes closest to how she has been feeling in the previous 7 days.
  2. All ten items must be completed.
  3. Care should be taken to avoid the possibility of the mother discussing her answers with others.
  4. The mother should complete the scale herself, unless she has limited English or has difficulty with reading.
  5. The EPDS may be used at 6-8 weeks to screen postnatal women. The child health clinic, postnatal check-up or a home visit may provide suitable opportunities for its completion.

Name: _______________________________
Address:  ___________________________________________________
Baby’s Age: __________________
As you have recently had a baby, we would like to know how you are feeling. Please UNDERLINE the answer which comes closest to how you have felt IN THE PAST 7 DAYS, not just how you feel today.

  1. I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things.
    As much as I always could
    Not quite so much now
    Definitely not so much now
    Not at all
  2. I have looked forward with enjoyment to things.
    As much as I ever did
    Rather less than I used to
    Definitely less than I used to
    Hardly at all
  3. * I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong.
    Yes, most of the time
    Yes, some of the time
    Not very often
    No, never
  4. I have been anxious or worried for no good reason.
    No, not at all
    Hardly ever
    Yes, sometimes
    Yes, very often
  5. * I have felt scared or panicky for not very good reason.
    Yes, quite a lot
    Yes, sometimes
    No, not much
    No, not at all
  6. * Things have been getting on top of me.
    Yes, most of the time I haven’t been able to cope at all
    Yes, sometimes I haven’t been coping as well as usual
    No, most of the time I have coped quite well
    No, I have been coping as well as ever
  7. * I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping.
    Yes, most of the time
    Yes, sometimes
    Not very often
    No, not at all
  8. * I have felt sad or miserable.
    Yes, most of the time
    Yes, quite often
    Not very often
    No, not at all
  9. * I have been so unhappy that I have been crying.
    Yes, most of the time
    Yes, quite often
    Only occasionally
    No, never
  10. * The thought of harming myself has occurred to me.
    Yes, quite often
    Sometimes
    Hardly ever
    Never

Response categories are scored 0, 1, 2, and 3 according to increased severity of the symptoms. Items marked with an asterisk are reverse cored (i.e. 3, 2, 1, and 0). The total score is calculated by adding together the scores for each of the ten items. Users may reproduce the scale without further permission providing they respect copyright by quoting the names of the authors, the title and the source of the paper in all reproduced copies.

National Day of Prayer for those with Mental Illness

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As so named by NAMI FaithNet, today is the National Day of Prayer for those with Mental Illness. In honour of this day, I’d like to post the prayer NAMI has listed at their site. Take a moment to remember all who struggle with mental illness – whether it be PPD, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or any of the other disorders that exist today. Pray thankfully that there is treatment available, pray desperately that the stigma be removed so more can open up and have the treatment available to them. To suffer from a mental illness is a dark place in which to be… pray that those who suffer and their families/caregivers may see the light and hope they so desperately need.

Prayer: Margaret Ann Holt, UMC

O, God, we gather here together today, as people from many different faith communities. We come before You, remembering all those persons whose lives have been touched by mental illnesses. We give thanks for those persons here who have given of their time and talents to do what they are able to help persons who are dealing with mental illnesses in their lives and in the lives of their families and friends. We give thanks for the improvement in medication and treatment programs that have enabled persons with mental illnesses to live productive lives. We pray that our society would do everything possible to make early diagnosis and treatment a standard operating procedure. We pray and ask that stigma be removed, so that persons and their families would get the appropriate help as soon as symptoms appear. Guide each one of us, and help us, as we endeavor to bring help and hope to those families and individuals.

We remember in our prayers those persons with mental illnesses who need to obtain access to their prescribed medications, treatment services, and counseling in the Gulf coast states where Hurricanes Katrina and Rita left devastation in their wake. We remember in our prayers all those who are in mental health crisis as a result of the horrible experiences they had during the storms and the devastation they experienced following the storms. We pray that our nation can respond in a timely and humanitarian way to this urgent mental health care need. We pray that in our own local communities, we can provide the appropriate health care for mind, body, and spirit to enable individuals to be on their journey of Recovery. Amen

Read in unison:

The faith community says to those people who suffer from the symptoms of mental illness, and to their family members:

We will walk with you. And God walks with you. You will not go through this alone.

Pray in unison:

O Lord, you have searched us and known us

You know when we sit down and when we rise up,

and know our innermost thoughts.

You search out our paths and know all our ways.

Before we speak, you know our words.

When we were knit together in our mother’s womb

You knew us as woman, as child, as man.

Wherever we go, Your hand will lead us.

So guide us along the pathways to hope,

that night becomes bright as day.

So lead us on our walk together,

that darkness is lifted from our hearts.

So encourage us that our sisters and brothers

Who have mental illness shall know that

they never walk alone.

 

Amen

Project I’m thinking about…

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I am not much of a sewer. I’m creative. I can thread a needle and make basic projects but I don’t like to follow directions or use specific techniques. I like to figure things out on my own. I won’t be able to do this with the project I’m thinking about though… I’m going to need some help.

This idea popped into my head last night as I was drifting off to sleep. That’s usually when i come up with my best ideas. Most of them are lost by the next morning but sometimes they stay with me. Fortunately, this one did.

The idea is for a “Ray of Hope” Quilt that would feature scraps of fabric sent in by survivors of PPD from all across the nation (or world for that matter). The general picture I have in my head is a sunrise pattern with rays going to the edge of the quilt. Don’t even have a color scheme or anything in mind yet – so I don’t even know what colours to ask for yet. And frankly, not sure I want to initiate it right now when I’m due the first week of January with my third child. So right now it’s just an idea and I wanted to get it down somewhere before I forgot it. Lucky you!

Anyone who has sewing experience or would like to help me out, feel free to comment and I’ll get in touch with you. Keep in mind that I more than likely won’t be starting this anytime soon!

Attention Fellow Bloggers!

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POSTPARTUM SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL
in partnership with
BlogHer and Postpartum Progress announce
 
BLOG DAY FOR THE MOTHERS ACT, OCTOBER 24, 2007

Bloggers across the country encouraged to call their U.S. Senator on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 in support of The MOTHERS Act
 
Postpartum Support International, the world largest non-profit organization devoted to the support of perinatal mental health, has joined forces with BlogHer, the web’s number one guide to women bloggers and Postpartum Progress to galvanize support for the passage of The MOTHERS Act – The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act. On Wednesday, October 24th, bloggers across the country will write about taking action on this critical legislation by placing calls to their state’s senators urging sponsorship and support of The MOTHERS Act.
 
The MOTHERS Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about PPD, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services.  It will also increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.
 
Specifically, The MOTHERS Act will help new moms by:
 
Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression (PPD) that can lead to early identification and treatment.  The legislation includes two grants to help health care providers educate, identify and treat PPD.
 
Expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers.  Since the exact cause of PPD isn’t known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition. 
 
Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers  –  800,000 American women each year. Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment .Untreated, consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death. Consequences of untreated maternal depression on infants/children range from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and death.
 
Susan Dowd Stone, president of Postpartum Support International states “The good news is that perinatal mood disorders are preventable and easily treated once detected. The MOTHERS Act legislation is key because its initiatives are preventive, educational and treatment oriented. PSI urges you to participate in this important campaign.
 
Lisa Stone, BlogHer Co-founder and CEO, said “The BlogHer community has chosen Global Health as the focus for our year-long blogging activism initiative, BlogHers Act. Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act is exactly the kind of project where BlogHer’s community can make a difference on legislation that will save women’s lives.
 
Katherine Stone, author of the Posptartum Progress blog, adds “Postpartum mood disorders are a disease of motherhood — they can affect any woman who becomes a mother, regardless of who she is.  If we don’t do something to better educate and treat the mothers who may suffer, we are doing a disservice to all mothers, children and families everywhere. All it takes is a phone call to let the Senate know that the women of America want the MOTHERS Act to pass.”
 
Postpartum Support International is the world’s largest nonprofit organization offering support, referrals, education, training, and resources to health care providers, women, and families coping with perinatal mood disorders. With coordinators in 49 states and 29 countries around the world, PSI is well-positioned to continue its mission of eradicating perinatal mental illness in every community worldwide. Thousands of women and concerned family members call our national warm line each year, attend our annual conference for healthcare providers and consumers, and visit our website to find local resources and support. PSI’s website www.postpartum.net and warmline 1-800-944-4773.
 
BlogHer , founded in February 2005 as a labor of love by three bloggers, BlogHer’s mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Today BlogHer provides the number-one community for and guide to blogs by women, via annual conferences, a Web network (http://blogher.com), and an advertising network of more than 800 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates (http://blogherads.com). BlogHer Inc. is majority-owned by three co-founders and has backing from Venrock (http://venrock.com).
Postpartum Progress (http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com) is the most widely-read blog in the United States on postpartum mood disorders, which include postpartum depression, postpartum OCD/anxiety and postpartum psychosis.  It is authored by Katherine Stone, who suffered postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder with the birth of her son in 2001 and is now an advocate for women with these illnesses. Stone’s articles on PPD have appeared in such places as Newsweek and www.womenshealth.gov, a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website. She is also a guest editor on the topic of postpartum depression at BlogHer, and has appeared on CNN.com, Yahoo! and E! News Online.
 
For additional inquiries, please call (201) 567-5596 or email susanstonelcsw@aol.com

Ebb and Flow

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A cold snuck up on me this past weekend. Friday morning I had the sniffles. Chalked it up to allergies. By the end of the day I had phoned my OB’s office to find out what medicines I could take. I felt myself slipping into the downward spiral of the severe blah’s. My eyes hurt, I could hardly keep my them open, my throat was scratchy and sore. And the giveaway of imminent illness – a craving for Chicken noodle soup. I HATE chicken noodle soup and absolutely do not eat the stuff unless I’m sick. I even visited Progresso’s website to make sure they had a decent version. Couldn’t tell though – they just had the names listed, not pictures. Chris picked me up a can on the way home from work. I downed the soup once he got home and went straight to bed at 830p. I should mention that I had been awake since 5a that morning with a runny nose and severe pelvic pain on top of everything else. He also brought me some medicine which I took even before I ate my soup.

I felt better Saturday morning but still had a craving for Chicken Noodle Soup. Odd for me – I never crave anything other than breakfast food in the morning. I even thought about eating the chicken and rice soup we had but I dislike that even more than chicken noodle soup. Took medicine all day Saturday and didn’t really eat much but did keep hydrated. Had a huge italian dinner though. Would have been better if I had cooked it at home but hey, when you’re sick – taste isn’t really a huge factor.

I’m much better now, off cold meds, and the sniffles are mostly gone.

Charlotte started to self-feed over the weekend. It’s been exciting and bittersweet at the same time. I’m starting to go through the emotions of what I felt when I stopped pumping for her. She’s been sitting on my lap in the living room while I feed her so it’s been our “bonding” time. She is still on my lap but as soon as I get the dining room table cleaned off, we’ll start eating at the table. I knew she’d be growing up and I know this is a good thing but it’s still hard. I am so proud of her for how far she’s come – from a cleft palate &  being on an NG tube to a g-tube and now, less than a year after having her g-tube removed, she’s thriving and feeding herself. I couldn’t really ask for a bigger miracle. As for cuddle time, she has taken to picking up books, bringing them to me, slamming them in my lap, and then waiting for me to pick her up and read the book to her. Sometimes we make it through the entire book, sometimes just the first page. Depends on how tired she is when she brings the book to me. *sighs* Motherhood – full of ebb and flow…..

On another note, I purposefully recorded two episodes of Oprah last week. Halle Berry’s interview and Sinead O’Connor’s interviews both got snatched up by the TiVo. Both women said something that really stuck with me and probably wouldn’t have hit me the way they did had I not just experienced the past year and a half I did.

Halle Berry commented on how once you’ve been down in a valley, you learn the way out and when you go there again, you’re able to find the way out faster.  A lightbulb popped on in my head when she said that. Makes SO much sense and was very comforting to hear.

Sinead O’Connor’s comment that struck me was about medications. She stated that her medication provided the scaffolding that allowed her to recover. That when she was sick, it was like a brick here or there would just go missing and crumble. She kept saying that she probably wasn’t describing her experience to the best of her ability but I thought she did a rather fantastic job at making the mental illness journey a concrete image. (She also said that after taking meds the first time, she felt “concrete” filling in the holes…. Sinead has been diagnosed as bipolar)

I’m amazed at how differently I interpret and analyze things now. I am starting to put more of a positive spin on things and when I say something positive to someone in a day-to-day situation, I am somewhat surprised at myself but joyfully so. I am loving laughing more and being sillier with my kids and husband. My mom sometimes doesn’t know what to do with me because I’m even joking with her too now. She’s so not used to that. She’s used to me being serious and sarcastic which is funny to me now because I GOT my sense of humor from HER. She’s always been the one to emphasize trying to find the funny side of a situation. If you can laugh at it, then laugh. And I do try to laugh. If I didn’t, I’d cry, I think. Never been much of a crier though. I tend to hold things in and lash out with anger and irritability. Working on that though – have a feeling that will be a constant work in progress but I’m a LOT better than I used to be – and everyone around me will tell you so.

Gotta run, I hear Alli calling me.