Postpartum Progress

NJ's New PPD Awareness Campaign

New Jersey's First Lady Mary Jo Codey launched a statewide educational campaign this week designed to build awareness about postpartum depression and offer resources for women, their families, and health care professionals. Titled “Recognizing Postpartum Depression: Speak Up When You’re Down,” the campaign features Mrs. Codey, who will continue to be actively engaged in communicating her personal experience and encouraging women to get treatment.

The campaign includes a Web site (www.njspeakup.gov) with sections for both consumers and health care professionals, and a 24-7 postpartum depression help line (1-800-328-3838) that provides women and their families with information about local resources for screening, as well as emergency assistance.

As part of the campaign, patient education materials will be distributed to health care providers throughout New Jersey for placement in physician offices, clinics and hospitals. They include a consumer brochure explaining postpartum depression symptoms and treatment options, and a video featuring Mrs. Codey and other New Jersey women who have experienced postpartum depression. The campaign will include continuing medical education credits through an online course as well as for attendance at educational seminars scheduled for the fall.

In support of the campaign, the governor has declared August Postpartum Depression Awareness Month in New Jersey.

Bravo to Governor and Mrs. Codey, and bravo to New Jersey!!

Tags: postpartum depression New Jersey Codey

Thinking of Having Another One??

Download PostpartumPactff.pdf 

Karen Kleiman, author of the book "This Isn't What I Expected," has shared with me a special tool that she provides to women who have gone through PPD and are considering having another child.  I thought you might find it useful.  You can download it using the link above.

Kleiman calls her checklist the "Postpartum Pact".  It also appears in her book "What Am I Thinking: Having a Baby After Postpartum Depression".  It is a four-page series of check-off points for couples to review together when preparing for a subsequent delivery after PPD.   For more info, you can also visit her website at www.postpartumstress.com.

National Depression Screening Day Adds Postpartum Screenings!

This year, I am happy to help promote National Depression Screening Day. Now in its 15th year, National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) is a program of the nonprofit organization Screening for Mental Health, Inc. The free program provides a non-threatening way for the public to be screened for depression and related illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm very pleased that this year, for the first time, they also will be screening for postpartum depression. Read here to learn more.

NDSD is designed to call attention to mood and anxiety disorders on a national level, to educate the public and clinicians about the symptoms and effective treatments, to offer individuals the free opportunity to be screened for the disorders, and to connect those in need of treatment to the mental health care system. Each fall, thousands of health care providers throughout the country conduct NDSD events that reach roughly 200,000 individuals with educational resources, and screen more than 100,000 people for mood and anxiety disorders. In addition, more than 350,000 mood and anxiety disorder screenings will be conducted this year through their year- round, interactive screening programs.

The event will be held on October 6th in various locations around the United States. To find a screening event near you, click here.

Link: [SMH e-news] When It's More Than the "Baby Blues"; NDSD Celebrates 15 Years.

A Primer on Intrusive Thoughts

I happened to come across this story and found it to be a very clear description of intrusive thoughts. If you've experienced them in the past or are worried about them now, you will want to read this: Dads Have Postpartum Obsessive Thoughts About Babies Just as Moms Do. Here's an excerpt:

A new Mayo Clinic study appearing in the Sept. 3 [2003] issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings shows 69% of mothers and 58% of fathers report having postpartum obsessive thoughts or worries about their new babies. The study surveyed 300 childbearing women and their partners, asking them questions about seven subjects including:

Suffocation or SIDS
Accidents
Intentional harm
Losing the infant
Illness
Unacceptable sexual thoughts
Contamination

While surveys showed that fathers do obsess about these subjects, it found mothers did so more.

It also states that researchers found there was " ... a big difference between having postpartum obsessive thoughts that will not lead to violence, and psychotic thoughts that may lead to the rare case of a parent harming the child. That difference is having fear of harming the child and being repulsed or afraid at the thought versus parents viewing their thoughts as realistic and rational."

I had no idea that new fathers had those thoughts as well. Obviously, they rarely mention it.

The only thing I really don't agree with is the last sentence: that it's best to simply dismiss such thoughts. There was no way in hell I could have just ignored them. They were unbelievably disturbing. Since thoughts such as those may indicate a postpartum mood disorder, it seems to me it would be better to seek a professional to find out whether you might need treatment in the form of therapy or medication.

Tags: postpartum depression intrusive thoughts postpartum OCD post partum depression

Cox Arquette's baby blues

Courtney Cox Arquette recently disclosed she, too, suffered from postpartum depression: Chicago Tribune | Cox Arquette's baby blues.

Of course, it annoys me that the Chicago Tribune chose to use the headline "Cox Arquette's Baby Blues". How many times do we have to explain that the baby blues is nothing compared to full blown postpartum depression?

Brooke Strikes Back

Thanks to Stacey for forwarding me the online link to Brooke Shield's op ed piece in the New York Times on Friday. You'll definitely want to check it out: AOL News - War of Words.

It's extremely well written. Right on, Brooke! I have yet to review her book on this bog (hopefully next week - I'm working on it, I swear!), but I must say I appreciate her using her voice to support what the rest of us have been saying in obscurity. I believe that any remedy that works, whether exercise or homeopathic or pharmaceutical, is valuable. Why denounce publicly what has clearly helped so many, Mr. Cruise? I am living, breathing proof that an antidepressant and therapy worked wonders to eliminate what turned out to be the worst illness, mental or physical, I've ever experienced. The point is to get mothers and their children healthy and bonded as quickly as possible. Period.