The Meadville Tribune published a local opinion column today by Carla J. Behr. In this article, she examines Postpartum Depression’s need for attention. You can read it by clicking here.
My favorite part of the article?
When Carla writes, “There is no room for ignorance because making a difference in the lives of women suffering postpartum depression involves a whole community.”
She is so right.
Shhhh…. Don’t tell anyone this but Postpartum Depression is fake!
It’s all a ruse by Big Pharma to get you to spend thousands, er, no, millions, on their products.
And that pesky MOTHER’S Act is at the very heart of the ruse.
The above is what the opposition of the MOTHER’S Act would have you believe about Postpartum Mood Disorders and The MOTHER’S Act.
If this were true, I highly doubt Hippocrates would have first written about Postpartum Depression thousands of years ago. (You know, WAY before Big Pharma even existed)
If this were true, then Big Pharma would have ensured my first OB wrote a prescription instead of turning me away and laughing me out of his office when I presented four years ago with rather significant symptoms at three months postpartum. Did I mention I was not “fed” any psychotropic medication or “propoganda”? I knew that thoughts of hurting my child and myself were NOT part of the normal postpartum experience and sought help to keep both of us safe!
Keep in mind that the MOTHER’S Act has been fighting to be passed for eight years now – more than enough time for Big Pharma to have properly funded a ton of education for lots of doctors and civilians. But wait – why do we have accounts of PPD experiences that go much much further back than eight years? What about Milk Fever? What about the UK’s law from 1922 relating to Postpartum Psychosis and infanticide? Wow. Big Pharma really has been at it for much longer then, huh?
And I suppose Charlote Perkins Gilman, author of The Yellow Wallpaper was paid off by Big Pharma to write her story protesting the very treatment of women struggling with Mood Disorders back in the 1800’s too.
If this were true, then Big Pharma “infected” me (twice) with Postpartum Depression just to get me to spend a ton of money on psychiatric medication.
If this were true, I would have been screened and treated with much more scrutiny during my second and third pregnancies because you know, the risk goes up after one episode. (But alas, I was not) Woohoo! More money for Big Pharma, right?
Oh yeah, that seems completely believable, doesn’t it?
Go, read the bill, and decide for yourself.
The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHER’S Act (S 324) does NOT endorse medicating pregnant or postpartum women. It does not even endorse screening of new mothers. The MSB MOTHER’S Act instead provides for a study of screening efficacy, increased education and awareness on both sides – patients and physicians.
Knowledge is power, it is prevention. With each subsequent pregnancy I became more and more educated about my options. I made decisions in consultation with my physicians. As a Coordinator with Postpartum Support International, I encourage women who contact me to explore all their options. I do not encourage medicating specifically but will support whatever decision a mother makes. To medicate or not is a decision to be made between a woman and her doctor. The MSB MOTHER’S Act respects this. PSI respects this. I respect this.
We need to support mothers on their journeys. Twenty percent of new mothers (new or experienced) will experience a mood disorder. And up to 50% of their partners will experience depression as well. The last thing we need to do is to close the door on them. I have had this happen to me with no alternative treatment or options available. It is a very scary place to be indeed and is why I do what I do. I refuse to allow any mothers suffer in silence and fear as I did, holding on for dear life to the precious hope that one day she’ll wake up and be normal again.
Please do not let this happen to any other mothers. Don’t let them suffer in silence. Raise your voice. Let it be heard. Let mothers across the country know they are not alone, they are not to blame, and they will be well, no matter what road they choose towards help. Give them options instead of taking them away. Help us educate physicians. Help us educate American communities and remove the stigma and fear that all too often befalls a new mother struggling with intrusive thoughts, sleepless nights, and sobbing days. Let her know you are there for her. It is time to reach out with open arms and bring back the village that once raised Mothers and Children. The Desperate Village is running out of time and hope. Don’t let your voice be the one that causes their downfall. Speak up now.
(You can Speak up now by visiting Susan Dowd Stone’s website to email her with your name, state, any credentials and affiliated organizations. Your name will then be added to a list of supporters for The MSB MOTHER’S Act which will be delivered to all Senators on Mother’s Day. Won’t you do this one little thing for the Mother in your life?)
The antipharma fight has gone on for years – it’s nothing new that was inspired by this legislation. Of course there are people for whom medication does not work. This is true with every medical condition known to man. So should we suspend medications just to spite “big pharma” for not producing the one size fits all silver bullet? Shall we just let millions of cancer patients, diabetics and severely mentally ill people languish in preventable misery? Should we ignore what research tells us about the life saving powers of every medication from penicillin to Prozac?
The most egregious aspect of these misrepresentations is the further victimization of suffering mothers by playing on their fears with falsehoods. What could possibly be the motive in predicting such a dire outcome for such a well meant initiative? When we pass The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, women in all economic and social strata in every state across the union will be able to find the help they need to return to health. How can one possibly distort this transparent intent?
So please add your name to the rapidly expanding list of state by state supporters at www.perinatalpro.com And then ask three more people to do so as well. Call members of the senate H.E.L.P. committee whose names and phone numbers are listed in my previous article. Truth has always been the most powerful advocate.
An Ashland, Ohio mother begins serving 16 years in jail for the severe beating of her infant today. The judge expressed absolutely no mercy, showing the mother a picture of her injured infant as she doled out the sentence.
Terri Dawson is a single mother with three children, a set of twins and one older child. Her attorney states she became exasperated with the prospect of single parenthood and argued for probation so that Dawson could seek psychological treatment.
Postpartum Depression was listed as a potential cause for Dawson’s behavior but summarily dismissed by the prosecution. Prosecutor Francesconi-Rogers stated Dawson had not been diagnosed with Postpartum Depression in her dismissal of the claim.
Now, I am not at all dismissing the seriousness of infant injury and child abuse. Both are intensely tragic and heartbreaking. But I have to wonder – did Dawson really suffer from a PMD? If so, did she seek treatment? When she sought treatment, did the doctors she saw even know what PMD’s are or how to treat them properly? Who is really at fault here? Is this another case of a Mother who was failed by the system? Or is it a mom who has manipulated the system? We’ll probably never know the answers to those questions but they are worth asking.
This case exemplifies the need for the Mother’s Act if indeed she sought treatment and was turned away. Let’s not forget that mothers of multiples are 43% more likely than mothers of singletons to exhibit symptoms of depression at 9-10 months postpartum. Let’s not forget that more often than not, mothers do not seek help for a Mood Disorder because they fear the stigma attached. Let us also not forget that many physicians are uneducated regarding PMD’s and don’t screen or counsel new mothers about the very real possiblity of experiencing the number one complication of childbirth.
What will it take for this country to wake up and realize we are not supporting our Mothers the best we can? We are failing our families by leaps and bounds. They are suffering and we stand idly by as they fall from grace yet we race to judge and point the finger rather than ask why so we can prevent it from happening again.
Do me a favor. Call your Senator. Tell them they need to pass the MOTHER’S Act. Email Susan Dowd-Stone @ susanstonelcsw(@)aol.com to be added to a list of supporters. Make sure you include your name, state, any credentials you have, and organization/affilitations if applicable.
The time is now. Your voice can save lives.
I just finished reading an awesome call to action by Katherine Stone.
You can read it here. She speaks out about the opposition who has taken the stance that the Pharma industry is behind the MOTHER’S Act – it MUST be stopped by all means necessary.
Read the essay. Then keep checking back here and at Katherine’s blog, Postpartum Progress. We’ve got something cookin’ and we think you’re gonna like it. Details will be released soon.