Postpartum Progress

Senate Passes Healthcare Amendment That Includes Postpartum Depression Screening

This week, as part of the debate over healthcare reform, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment to Senator Harry Reid's healthcare bill that would support funding for postpartum depression screening.

This amendment, led by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), is unrelated to and separate from the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which does not include screening for postpartum depression among its provisions.  (The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act was passed by the U.S. House by is still stuck in committee in the Senate.)

As reported in the New York Times yesterday:

"Under Ms. Mikulski’s proposal, a federal agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration, would develop “comprehensive guidelines” recommending preventive care and screenings for women, and insurers would have to cover the services without any cost-sharing.

Ms. Mikulski said the services would include screenings for breast, cervical, ovarian and lung cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as postpartum depression and domestic violence."

CNN Health Gets PPD Right

Wow.  Not only does CNN.com/Health run a story from Parenting.com on postpartum depression that is essentially correct but they also link to information on how to support the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  No sensationalism.  No BS.  Just a real story on PPD and how to get help.  How about that?

Women's Websites Push Back on Time Magazine's Take on MOTHERS Act

Here are some more viewpoints on the Time magazine article on postpartum depression and the MOTHERS Act from some interesting women's websites and authors around the web:

Jezebel -- where many of the commenters seem to be pretty informed, which is nice.  One comment follows:

"I think you're jumping the gun by wondering if women will be given meds if they don't need them. It's better to make options available, and to destigmatize a relatively common problem, than to fear that a few false positives will ruin the whole program."

Sarah Mirk at Bitch Magazine, who points out:

"Time's story ignited the ire of many who argue that the article intentionally left out pro-Mothers Act voices to push an editorial agenda."

Blogger extraordinaire Catherine Connors of Her Bad Mother, Beliefnet, Mamapop, BlogHer and so many other sites:

"Doubting and shaming women who do struggle or have struggled with PPD serves no-one. Time should know better. Better than Tom Cruise, anyway."

Empowher with Susan Stone's piece

"The recent Time article which appeared, 'The Melancholy of Motherhood,' presents a thinly-veiled bias against life-saving legislation, the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which continues its steady march toward adoption ...

Like the hapless person who comes between a dog and its bone, the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act has become the pawn of frustrated antimental health and antipharma factions. Having lost too many ill-fought battles (thankfully, science, medicine, clinical practice and research still trump hysteria), they have seized upon this benign and life-saving legislation to vindicate their rage. But the argument fails to stick because the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act doesn’t mandate screening or subsidize the medication that appears to be the primary issue of protest."  

And Dr. Shoshanna Bennett responds as well here, including this tidbit:

"The MOTHERS Act is about education and research, not medication -- contrary to the fear mongers' rhetoric.  The portrayal of the issue in the Time article was not only misleading to the public, it was inaccurate on many points."

If I've missed you, let me know!

 

A Nurse/Mother's Letter to Time Magazine: Alison Palmer

Because I had to take a break from blogging while moving (which, may I say, is such a HUGE, FREAKING NIGHTMARE!!), I missed out on sharing with you a few more letters written to Timemagazine by some amazing advocates for women with PPD.  So I must share them with you now, because their voices are so important.  Still waiting to see if Time prints any of our letters to the editor, or if they ignore the issue completely ...

Dear Editors at Time Magazine:

As a maternal-newborn clinical nurse specialist, coordinator of a Postpartum Emotional Support Program, and most importantly as a mother, the article "Postpartum Depression: Do All New Mothers Need Screening?" hit several nerves.  As a nurse and educator in my role I am compelled to shed some light on the facts that were overlooked by this recent article.  As a mother and advocate for women suffering from postpartum depression, I feel the need to jump up and down to get people to start paying attention to the fact that perinatal mood disorders have a strong biologic component, place an enormous strain on the family unit and have the potential to be lethal.

The Maternity Center at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire, does about 2200 births per year.  We help women achieve their dream of becoming mothers and transform couples into families.  We have a level 3 NICU, can manage the most noninvasive natural labors to the more high-tech delivery of multiples and obstetric complications.  We have formed multidisciplinary workgroups to implement simulation training and communication processes to make certain that as a team we are functioning like a well-oiled machine.  The guidelines, algorithms and policies under which we function serve as a "safety net" or contingency plan for when labor and birth do not follow the expectations of a normal, uncomplicated delivery.  Yes, we operate with our life preservers on, not that we always need them, but they sure come in handy if we start to enter choppy seas.

But this is only the first step in making a mother.  We forget that as we launch these new mothers into the world, they are often quite unprepared for what comes next.  There isn't always a safety net in place for the reality of how challenging the transition to motherhood can be.  While our society gets caught up in the perfect stroller, diaper bag, crib and baby room decor, no one talks about the chaos that comes after we send this new family home.  Trust me, it is less than perfect.  Parenting is not a perfect science, and here's a secret:  there are no "perfect mothers".

After birth there is a dramatic drop in the hormones of pregnancy.  This, along with the cumulative effects of countless sleepless nights can cause a shift in the brain chemistry and may contribute to mood swings, anxiety and/or depressed mood.  There are a number of psychological factors that go along with becoming a mother.  Mom is learning, the baby is learning and it takes time to adjust to this new role and bond with the baby.  This is all met with the normal life stressors of finances, job concerns, family issues and/or a lack of family and friends who live nearby to help.  When one is trying to juggle it all, along with learning how to care for a newborn (or balance a newborn in the context of meeting the needs of OLDER children), this can feel very overwhelming.

Over 80% of women will experience the "baby blues", which are a normal period of high and low emotions during the first several weeks following birth.  Postpartum depression or other mood and anxiety disorders occur at least 20% of the time, and can occur anytime in the first year after birth.  Constant, intense feelings of sadness, worry, nervousness and emptiness that lasts 2 weeks or more, and affects areas of the mother's life like sleep and changes in eating habits, is an illness that requires medical help.  Some women with PPD also have recurrent, disturbing thoughts that can lead to a high level of anxiety and is called postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder.  Postpartum psychosis is rare, affecting only ~1 in 1000 women and occurs most often during the first four weeks after delivery.  These women are severely impaired and may have paranoia, mood shifts, or hallucinations that command her to hurt herself or others, and usually requires immediate hospitalization.  Women suffering from PPD often need medication to treat the biology in the brain, talk therapy to discuss some of the changes in feelings they are having, and support from new moms groups or PPD support groups to have a safe place to share what they are going through with other mothers in similar situations.

I find it outrageous that the interpretation of the MOTHERS Act by Catherin Elton is to assume that this bill would simply support prescriptive proactive or psychotropic drugs and "lead to an increase in mothers being prescribed medication unnecessarily" and "simply contribute to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood."  The goals of the MOTHERS Act are similar to many other preventative initiatives such as those developed by Healthy People 2010 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Are the disease prevention and health promotion objectives for obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer and heart disease and stroke ALL based in pharmacologic management?  Absolutely not!  Physical activity, nutrition, risk-taking behaviors, and smoking cessation are components of the care plan and preventive strategies for these diseases.  A healthcare provider who would simply prescribe a lipid-lowering agent and a beta blocker for a patient with high cholesterol and a previous myocardial infarction without providing counseling on a diet, exercise, and referral to a nutritionist and cardiac rehab would be amiss in providing a comprehensive treatment plan.

Any of the experts in the field of perinatal mental health will tell you that you can't rely on just one type of intervention to treat postpartum depression.  Pharmacology is just one piece of the puzzle.  A healthy dose of endorphins from daily exercise, relaxation/meditation, light therapy, fish oils, a balanced diet, counseling, support groups and avoidance of caffeine and alcohol are just a few of the various interventions that can be beneficial in treating PPD.  Popping a pill every day is not going to help the new mother if she does not have a good sleep hygiene schedule or can't ingest adequate nutrients secondary to her diminished appetite.  Nor will aerobics classes or yoga and meditation around the clock "will away" the guilt of scary, intrusive thoughts the mother might be experiencing.  Each individual is going to respond to a healthy mix of more than one type of interventionaddressing the areas of biological, psychological and social support for PPD.  The MOTHERS Act supports the research and education of clinicians and families in ALL of these areas.

The national governing organizations for perinatal nurses and OB-GYNs also support the objectives promoted by the MOTHERS Act.  The Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses' (AWHONN) position statement on "The Role of the Nurse in Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders" states that "Health care facilities that serve pregnant women, new mothers and newborns should have routine screening protocols and educational mechanisms for staff training and client education related to postpartum mood and anxiety disorders." 

On May 6, 2009, Gerald F. Joseph Jr. MD of Louisiana became the 60th president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).  Dr. Joseph announced that postpartum depression is the theme of his presidential initiative.  He emphasizes the need to develop evidence-based guidelines for ACOG members in the areas of screening, identification, counseling, treatment, referral to specialists and development of community-based resources for women suffering from PPD.  He, too, is taking a multifaceted approach to addressing the multidimensional needs of perinatal mood disorders.  Nowhere do I see it suggested that we develop a recipe book of SSRIs and anxiolytics to be distributed to healthcare providers as a quick fix to treat this problem.

Our organization recently implemented an Inpatient Postpartum Depression Risk Assessment.  An 11-item questionnaire is distributed to EVERY new mother who delivers, and screens them into a risk category for developing PPD.  This screening tool identifies risk factorsand does not indicate that a woman will definitely experience PPD.  Just like someone who smokes, is obese, has high blood pressure and a family history of cardiac disease is at higher risk for a heart attack, these PPD risk factors simply indicate that one might be at a higher risk for the illness.  The "at-risk" moms view a PPD video, receive more in-depth PPD education, get follow up phone calls at home, are offered Visiting Nurse visits and are invited to attend weekly New Moms Groups and the Postpartum Depression Support Group.  In our first month of screening, we had patients screen out as 46% low risk, 21% moderate risk, 30.5% high risk and 2.5% immediate risk.  More than HALF of all of the new mothers who delivered had some increased risk for PPD.  I don't believe that is something that can be ignored. 

When screening for depression in the healthcare setting is based on clinical observation alone, 50% of women suffering from depression are missed (Wilen and Mounts, 2006).  We cannot rely solely on clinical judgment.  Obstetric providers are encouraged to screen for current symptoms of depression with a validated tool such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening Scale during follow-up visits.  Our intention is to help moms become aware of the factors that can potentially make them vulnerable to PPD so they can mobilize their support network and make use of available resources.  By screening universally, we hope to reduce the stigma of perinatal depression by encouraging healthcare providers to take about it as a common complication of childbirth.

PPD is very treatable.  Many women do not want to admit that they are having a hard time after having a baby.  It is supposed to be a happy time of their lives!  In reality it is also a major time of change and role adjustment to essentially the most difficult and important job that anyone can do.  If you had diabetes you would see an endocrinologist, take insulin and no one would tell you to "snap out of it".  Your brain is an organ.  We shouldn't treat the mind any differently.  The process we have initiated at our organization is our way of providing the family with their own life preserver, and letting them know that they are not alone as they embark on those unchartered seas called "parenting".  Time, I'm sorry to say you missed the boat on this very important issue.

  

Alison Palmer, RN, MS, WHNP-BC

Maternal-Newborn Clinical Nurse Specialist

Postpartum Emotional Support Program Coordinator

Manchester, NH

A Mother's Letter to Time Magazine: Joan Mudd

Since we lost our daughter Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling to PPD in 2001, our family founded a program at Northshore University Health Systems in Evanston, Ill., that screens pregnant mothers for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.  Central to the program is a 24-hour help line (866-364-6667) new moms can call when they or their families need help.  Answering the phones are trained professionals who can help with both big and little problems.

It remains essential regardless of how one feels about the type of treatment a doctor might give that this illness have a name and be recognized as such by the medical community, mothers and their families.

Quite simply, this potentially lethal illness flourishes in a climate of apathy, ignorance and silence.  The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act will go a long way to remove the ignorance.

Joan Mudd

Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Foundation

 

A Mother's Letter to Time Magazine: Kim Rogers

For every Amy Philo, there are 100 women who support and understand the importance of the MOTHERS Act.  I was very disappointed to not even see one of them represented.

As a postpartum depression survivor, I know too well how the disease can blindside someone who is not properly educated on the illness.  And as far as this quote:

"Women who have been healthy all their lives, who haven't suffered lots of anxiety and depressive symptoms, are unlikely to have problems in the postpartum period -- not even close to likely," says Michael O'Hara, a University of Iowa professor of psychology ...

I have never suffered from anxiety or depression, I have a Masters Degree, a supportive husband and family, and am financially stable ... like many women who have battled PPD. The idea that it is unlikely for a woman to have PPD if she hasn't had a history of depression is foreign to anyone who has truly studied the illness. It is not a respecter of persons.

Your article was un-balanced and under-researched, and an unfortunate misuse of Time Magazine's influence on society. You could have helped so many women if you would have stuck to the facts.

Respectfully,
Kim Rogers

A Mother's Response to Time Magazine: Lauren Hale

Lauren Hale's letter to Time magazine:

I am typing this as my dear daughters are asleep on the floor in our living room after a great evening together including S'mores, Orange floats, a movie, and a chocolate bath.

It is FOR them that I want this. It is FOR women who have experienced and will sadly experience the same level of ignorance and idiocy I myself was exposed to that I want the MOTHER'S Act to pass. No woman deserves to walk into her obstetrician's office and be denied aid or told everything she's feeling isn't real. No woman deserves what has happened to so many of us. Nor does a woman deserve to experience what Amy [Philo] has. I myself have been a victim of Zoloft. It stopped me in my tracks - flashed thoughts of wanting to murder my children through my head. It hospitalized me. Yet here I stand. WITH many other dedicated survivors, reaching out selflessly to those behind us, those who are in the same places we once were. THEY do not deserve uneducated physicians scoffing at them as they dredge every ounce of strength from the depths of their souls in order to avoid harming their children. They deserve compassion, education, understanding, everything the MOTHER'S Act stands for. As survivors - we have a MORAL obligation to tell our stories, to speak up so mothers and families struggling with Postpartum Mood Disorders KNOW they are not alone. When I was hospitalized all I wanted was to talk with another mother who could tell me I wasn't alone. I needed someone to understand what I was going through. Alas, I did not have that. Instead I struggled alone.

I'm sick of the opposition. I'm sick of being slammed because I chose (freely) to take medication. I'm sick of being accused of not being informed when I chose (freely) to take my medication. I'm sick of their lies. I'm sick of their bastardization of this bill. I'm sick of their dedication to limiting the choices and denigrating the hope this bill carries for new mothers everywhere. I'm sick of my hard journey being completely desecrated and ignored because it involves medication as a piece of my recovery.

Mothers need support as they travel through the postpartum period. Regardless of the involvement of medication. They deserve honest, compassionate support at the very least. Not fear-mongering, not harsh words, not screaming, and certainly not judgement. Can't we at least provide that?

An Open Letter to Time Magazine About Postpartum Depression

Monday, July 13, 2009

An Open Letter to the Editors of Time:

Time has done a great disservice to all mothers who are suffering and will suffer from postpartum depression (PPD).  In an article called “The Melancholy of Motherhood” journalist Catherine Elton writes a distorted story that no doubt has already begun to confuse and stigmatize women with PPD.   

We cannot understand why Time would choose to sensationalize what is a very serious medical issue for hundreds of thousands of women in the United States each year, and to create controversy around the MOTHERS Act, the one and only piece of legislation that would help to systematize support and services that are sorely lacking in so many places throughout our country.

There are several points in the article that concern us:

1.The MOTHERS Act is not “dividing psychologists” as Elton opines.  The American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers wholeheartedly endorse the MOTHERS Act.    In fact, you neglect to mention that much of the medical community supports the bill.  It has been publicly endorsed by the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Nurse Midwives, the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition, and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, among many others.  You didn’t represent any of them in your piece, all of which are highly regarded organizations which have a long record of dedication to the health of both mothers and babies.

2. Elton calls screening controversial and infers it may not even work. Many women will tell you that screening saved their lives, and others who were not screened wish they had been so they could have received treatment sooner.  In fact, Elton interviewed at least two such women but they were not represented in the article.  Screening for PPD is an effective way to identify women who may have it.   Both the sensitivity (misses few sufferers) and specificity (some, but not too many false positives) of the widely-used and validated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, for instance, is very well-established.  We’d be happy to send you multiple, contemporary, highly-regarded studies that support this.    

3. Elton states that “… increased screening could lead to an increase in mothers being prescribed psychiatric medication unnecessarily.”  First, the MOTHERS Act does not require screening.  Second, none of the screening tools for depression were designed to take the place of evaluation by health care professionals, so it is manipulation to suggest that screening alone will yield treatment of any kind or specifically treatment via medication.  In a study of large scale universal screening efforts of more than 1000 pregnant and postpartum women, screening for depression did not lead to greater rates of treatment (Yonkers et al., Psychiatric Services, 2009).  This is because there are many barriers to treatment, regardless of a positive screen.  Additionally, for those who are able and choose to be treated, many women elect methods that don’t include medication (Pearlstein et al., Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 2006). 

 

4. Time should be more careful when discussing the causes of PPD.  We were surprised to see such a well-regarded publication misrepresent the results of a small research study that provided evidence to support the idea that a subset of women are more susceptible to hormonal changes as a trigger for depression, such as PPD, by prefacing the results with the unsubstantiated statement that “pregnancy hormones … have little to do with PPD in most cases.”  This study showed that for those with a known history of depression, the hormonal changes that occur following delivery may increase one’s risk for developing symptoms during the postpartum period.  Yet Elton attempts to use these results to support Michael O’Hara’s overgeneralization that women without prior history of “lots of anxiety and depressive symptoms” (what does this even mean objectively?!) “are unlikely to have problems in the postpartum period – not even close to likely.”  Reporting results out of context to support the opinions of a source is appalling. 

 

The fact that women who have had depression or anxiety in the past are more likely to experience PPD is nothing new.  This is only one of many risk factors that have been identified.  Your article, however, attempted to make a previous history of depression or anxiety the single key to identifying PPD.  This will lead women who are ill but who have never been clinically diagnosed or treated for a mental illness to believe they must not have PPD.  Many women who suffer will tell you it was the first time they were ever treated for a mental illness and the first time they came to realize they may have suffered from depression or anxiety in the past.  You also leave out women who have no history of depression or anxiety but ended up with PPD for other reasons.  Perhaps you were not aware, for instance, that diabetes is a risk factor for PPD (Kozhimannil et al., JAMA, 2009), as is thyroiditis.  Women who deliver multiples or have babies born with serious health problems also have a higher risk of getting PPD.

 

5.  The language used in the article frustratingly minimizes the devastation that PPD can cause.  Such phrases as “the melancholy of motherhood” and “still, there is no denying that the postpartum period is a difficult one for many women” almost brush PPD off as a blue funk or a trying transition time for new moms.  This signifies a clear lack of understanding about the seriousness of this illness that somewhere between 10 and 20% of women around the world suffer.  PPD impacts a mother’s ability to function on a daily basis.  It is not a difficult period.  Elton asks, “Does PPD screening identify cases of real depression or simply contribute to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood?”  It is no more medicalizing motherhood to identify and treat PPD than it is to identify and treat gestational diabetes, which is universally screened for and occurs in only 3.5% of mothers.

 

As Time reported in June, the National Academies fully endorses screening for parental depression and believes it is crucial, while also emphasizing that screening is not helpful unless there is effective follow up and treatment tied to it.  Supporters of the MOTHERS Act share that belief.  Although effective treatment is available, fewer than half of cases of postpartum depression are recognized (Gjerdingen et al., Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 2007).  Even fewer of those women ever receive treatment of any kind.

We are terribly sorry about the experience of the one mother quoted in your article, which happens on rare occasions, but we believe that the MOTHERS Act would actually go a long way to prevent what happened to her.   What this bill actually funds is research, education and awareness.  If these pieces are put in place, women, families and medical professionals will be better educated to prevent false positives from screening.  A well-trained and educated physician will know to refer the patient on to a specialist who can inform her of various treatment options and monitor her to ensure the treatment she chooses is effective.   A woman who has been made fully aware of the kind of services she should receive and the risks and benefits of the treatments available to her will be able to make the best choice for herself and her family.

Time focused on one potential but unlikely consequence of the MOTHERS Act rather than the actual content of the bill and why it is so sorely needed.  We are deeply disappointed.

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Codey, mother of 2, former first Lady of New Jersey, kindergarten teacher, New Jersey  

Carol Blocker, mother of Melanie Blocker Stokes, Illinois

Sonia Murdock, co-founder and executive director of the Postpartum Resource Center of New York, past president of PSI, New York

Cheryl Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, mother of 2, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, co-author of the  American Journal of Nursing  2006 Book of the Year award, Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide, Connecticut

Amy D. Gagliardi, mother of 4, Director of a Perinatal Health Clinic at a Federally Qualified Health Center, writer, researcher and chair of the Woman's Health Sub-Committee of Connecticut's Medicaid Managed Care Council, Connecticut

Valerie Plame Wilson, mother of 2, author of Fair Game, New Mexico

Adrienne Griffen, mother of 3, founder of Postpartum Support Virginia, and mid-Atlantic regional coordinator for Postpartum Support International, Virginia

Heidi Koss-Nobel, MA, mother, psychotherapist, Chairperson of Postpartum Support International of Washington, Washington

George J. Parnham, Attorney at Law, co-founder of the Yates Children Memorial Fund, Texas

Ann Dunnewold, Ph.D., mother of 2, licensed psychologist, author of Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box, past president of Postpartum Support International, Texas

Diane G. Sanford, Ph.D., internationally-recognized expert on pregnancy and postpartum emotional health, medical advisory board member on Babycenter.com, adjunct associate professor at the St. Louis University School of Public Health, Missouri

Catherine Connors, mother, author of the Her Bad Motherblog, featured parenting blogger at Beliefnet.com, Maternal Health Editor at BlogHer.com and Partner/Managing Editor at Mamapop.com, Canada

Tonya Fulwider, mother of 2, executive director of Perinatal Outreach & Encouragement, regional coordinator for Postpartum Support International, Ohio

Adrienne Martini, mother of 2, author of Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness & Motherhood, New York

Katherine Stone, mother of 2, author of Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the US on postpartum depression, WebMD 2008 Health Hero, Georgia

Erin Reilly, co-founder of Sound of Silence, Friends of the Postpartum Resource Centerof New York, New York

Jen Stoll, mother of 2, executive director of The Postpartum Resource Center of Kansas, Kansas

Erika Krull, MS, LMHP, mother of 3, mental health counselor, author of the Family Mental Health blog on Psych Central, Nebraska

Wendy N. Davis, Ph.D., mother of 2, psychotherapist & perinatal mood disorders consultant, founding director of Baby Blues Connection, PSI Volunteer Coordinator, Oregon

Therese Borchard, mother of 2, author of the Beyond Blue blog on Beliefnet, author of several books including The Imperfect Mom: Candid Confessions of Mothers Living in the Real World, Maryland

Carol Peindl, RN, MSN, CNS, psychotherapist/nurse for the Prenatal and Postpartum Center of the Carolinas, PSI coordinator for the state of North Carolina, North Carolina

Diana Lynn Barnes, Ph.D., mother of 2, award-winning psychotherapist, past president of Postpartum Support International, California

Lauren Hale, mother of 3, author of Sharing the Journeyblog,  iVillage Community Leader for Postpartum Depression and Pregnancy & Depression/Mental Illness Message Boards, Georgia

Pec Indman, PA, EdD, MFT, mother of 2, psychotherapist, co-author of Beyond the Blues, A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression, Education and Training Chair of Postpartum Support International, expert panelist for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau/HRSA, California

Tara Mock, mother of 2, author of the Out of the Valley blog for Christian postpartum depression support

Ivy Shih Leung, mother of 1, author of Ivy's PPD Blog, New Jersey

Helen Ferguson Crawford, mother of 2, architect, Georgia

Karen Kleiman, MSW, founder and director of The Postpartum Stress Center, author of several books on postpartum depression, Pennsylvania

Joan Mudd, mother, founder of the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation, Illinois

Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, mother of 1, NJHSS Certified Perinatal Mood Disorders Instructor, Public Reviewer for the National Institutes of Mental Health, author and Adjunct Lecturer at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, New Jersey

Marcie Ramirez, mother, co-founder of the Maternal Mental Health Task Force of Middle Tennessee, PSI Coordinator of Middle Tennessee, Tennessee

Amber Koter-Puline, mother of 1, author of the Beyond Postpartum blogand Atlanta support group facilitator, Georgia

Amy Tobias, mother, Indiana

Kimmelin Hull, PA-C, LCCE, mother of three, director of Pregnancy to Parenthood  and author of A Dozen Invisible Pieces and Other Confessions of Motherhood, Montana

Sylvia Lasalandra-Frodella, mother of 1, Constituent Relations for the former First Lady of New Jersey Mary Jo Codey, author of A Daughter’s Touch, New Jersey

Lisa Jeli, mother of 1, California

Susan McRoberts, mother of 3, author of The Lifter of My Head: How God Sustained Me Through Postpartum Depression

Sara Pollard, RN, BS, Clarian Women’s Health Services, Indiana

Amy Burt, MA, mother of 3, director of operations, Perinatal Outreach & Encouragement for Moms, Ohio Coordinator for Postpartum Support International, Ohio

Diane Ashton, MSW, mother of 2, founder of PPD Support Hawaii, Hawaii

Laurel R. Spence, MS, PA-C, mother of 3, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, clinical physician assistant, Women’s Specialists of Houston, Yates’ Children Memorial Fund/Women’s Mental Health Initiative advisory council member, speaker’s bureau Mental Health America – Houston and Postpartum Support International member, Texas

Sara Binkley-Tow, MA, CIMI, CHBE, PCD (DONA), executive director of Moms Bloom, Michigan

Sarah Pond, mother of 1, founder of Mama2Mama and early childhood development facilitator, Canada

Birdie Meyer, RN, MA, CLC, mother, president of Postpartum Support International, winner of the 2008 Award of Excellence in Advocacy from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, Indiana

Della Palacios, mother of 2, Florida

Kimberly Wong, founder and chair of the Perinatal Mental Health Task Force of Los Angeles, California

Dr. Shoshanna Bennett, Clinical Psychologist, past president of Postpartum Support International, founder and director of Postpartum Assistance for Mothers, author of "Postpartum Depression for Dummies", California

Ilyene Barsky, LCSW, The Center for Postpartum Adjustment, Florida

Time Magazine Skips the Facts About Postpartum Depression

Time magazine has published an article about the MOTHERS Act and postpartum depression.  Written by Catherine Elton and initially entitled "The Melancholy of Motherhood" (now renamed "Should All Mothers Be Screened for Postpartum Depression?"), it is full of inaccuracies and misstatements of fact.  Mothers and experts alike are understandably disappointed that such an esteemed publication wouldn't do the proper research.

Time completely blew it.  The editors should really be ashamed of themselves for allowing an article on a topic that they clearly knew so little about to be published: 

• They state that it is highly unlikely for anyone who hasn't had previous bouts with depression or anxiety to get postpartum depression.  Wrong.

• They state that the MOTHERS Act is diving psychologists.  Wrong. 

• They state that PPD screening (which of course is not mandated in the MOTHERS Act, but hey, why not use a red herring?!) will lead to mothers being prescribed medication unnecessarily.  Huh?  Wha? 

• They misinterpret the findings of the one study they use in the article. Wrong again.

• They only interview a mom who is against screening.  They conducted other interviews with moms who are survivors of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and support screening, but Time didn't feel it was necessary to include their voices for balance.

More to come ...

P.S.  If you haven't already written to them to express your displeasure, you should.  Letters@time.com  If you'd like to send me your letter I will be happy to share it on Postpartum Progress.

 

Actress Kirstie Alley Brings Attention to Lies About MOTHERS Act

If I could, I would thank Kirstie Alley personally.  Hug her, even.  Her over-the-top Twittering this week (@kirstiealley) has finally started to bring attention to the widely-spread false and misleading statements that have been made for months now about the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.

Some of Kirstie's statements on Twitter this week have included that the bill is "backed 100% by big pharma" and that "The goal is to pre-screen pregnant mothers for depression.  If they fit the bill, it is mandated treatment which is drugs.  And for her baby." 

I've always been a fan of Kirstie Alley, so this came as a disappointment to me.  But I'd like to hope that she was just being misled, and didn't realize that the facts she was sharing with her 22,000-plus followers on Twitters were not, in fact, facts.

Websites that have taken notice and spoken up include About.com and the Daily Kos.

Daily Kos: "Kirstie Alley & Scientology Vs the MOTHERS Act"

"Nowhere does this bill suggest that women or their children will be forcibly drugged, but this is one of the fearmongering 'factual statements' put forth by Scientology, CCHR, and its celebrity mouthpieces like Kirstie Alley."

About.com: "No Mercy for Those Who Invent Facts"

"Kirstie Alley and Scientology's Citizens Commission on Human Rights are protesting The MOTHERS Act, which is meant to provide more information about postpartum depression to new and expectant mothers. It also pushes for greater research into the condition ... This isn't an issue of mere misunderstanding. This is, at best, passing along rampant, unfounded, and unresearched rumor; at worst, deliberate misrepresentation."

Another site that I must admit I hadn't been aware of, until now, called Celebitchy, reported this:

"Alley is Twittering about all the bad things she believes will happen if the Mother’s Act is passed. This includes things like FORCING women and babies to take psychiatric drugs and squirting Prozac in babies’ eyes. Yes, she really said that."

I might point out that several people who tweeted Ms. Alley back this week to disagree with her, including myself, Amber Koter, and Ivy Shih-Leung, noticed that our tweets were blocked.  I'm sad that doesn't want to have a reasoned discussion about this. 

Let's all repeat:

1.  The MOTHERS Act does not mandate that women be screened for postpartum depression.  It actually funds research to look into how effective screening is in indentifying women who have it.

2.  The MOTHERS Act does not mandate women to take drugs for postpartum depression.  It doesn't take any stance whatsoever on treatment, other than to fund research into what effective treatments may be and into what causes this illness so that perhaps more targeted treatments can be developed in the future.

3.  The MOTHERS Act is not sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.  Its only sponsors are the Senators (Menendez) and Representatives (Rush) who created it and brought it to a vote, thanks to the unending insistence of Carol Blocker, the mother of Melanie Blocker Stokes, who committed suicide while suffering from postpartum psychosis.  Its endorsers, I might point out, include the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the March of Dimes, the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition, the Children's Defense Fund and NOW.  And, I'm excited to say, as of this week the National Perinatal Foundation has added its voice to those organizations that support this legislation.

4.  I know plenty of women who have screened positive for postpartum depression because they were, in fact, suffering from postpartum depression.  These women have been able to make their own choices about whether they wanted treatment or not, and if so, what type.  I know women who've done therapy only, women who've used alternative methods, women who've taken meds.  It's still a free country, thankfully, and will continue to be after the MOTHERS Act is passed.

5. Nobody will be squirting anything into babies' eyes or into any other orifices of any other person.

Still Time to Support MOTHERS Act

Yesterday, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) hosted a press conference promoting passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  Susan Stone attended and reported the following:

"The responsive audience and numerous press representatives asked many excellent questions which gave an opportunity to address misconceptions about S 324 and talk about the fantastic opportunity this legislation presents to end the preventable suffering of thousands of America's mothers. Senator Menendez clarified that the bill does NOT mandate screening, but will seek research into the most efficacious methods of identifying these illnesses for earlier treatment and prevention."

You can still support this important piece of legislation by signing the online petition -- follow this link and join me and so many others: http://www.perinatalpro.com/ppdlegislation.html

Here's a story CBS in New York did on the event, featuring Sylvia Lasalandra.

And here's a post from Ivy Shih-Leung today on how it went -- I'm so glad she was able to go!  A tidbit:

"During the press conference, several references were made with respect to how Senator Coburn (R-OK) has been stubbornly opposed to the bill–even despite the fact that he is an OB/GYN– and it should be interesting given how Rachel Roberts, who was just crowned Mrs. Oklahoma International, is a postpartum depression survivor and will continue her postpartum depression awareness mission that she started during her Mrs. Tulsa days.   Please visit her website."

And Tom Davis wrote about it on Coping with Life.

What To Expect When Your Expecting's Murkoff Endorses Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act

The list of amazing organizations and people who are speaking out in support of the Melanie Blocker Stokes Act this week is growing and growing.  Thank you for standing up for women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. 

Here's a great new one:  Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (you know the book!) is also endorsing this bill.  Check out her beautiful blog post at the What to Expect website.  It's called "Let Melanie's Battle Become Our Mission."  Thanks Heidi!!!

National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition Endorses MOTHERS Act

The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition is now endorsing the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act. The Coalition is calling for a comprehensive look at perinatal mental health to facilitate a thorough understanding of the many factors surrounding it.

Judy Meehan, Executive Director, says “Too many women are suffering, and too many families are negatively affected by the significant effects of postpartum depression. With assessment tools, education, support and treatment now available, partners in public health have an opportunity and a responsibility to help. Every woman deserves to have the information and access to care she needs to take care of her health and be the best mom she can be. “

Senator Blocking MOTHERS Act Is Obstetrician (Seriously)

I just had the privilege of speaking with one of our nation's Senators today -- Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who we have to thank for introducing the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in the Senate.  As he stated in an official message from his office today, lauding the bloggers who will mobilize readers, colleagues, family members and friends this week to support the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act:

“Postpartum depression is a condition that is not only more widespread than most realize but also more debilitating than most realize.  We need to make sure these mothers are fully supported and informed, rather than scared and alone. Working together with a nationwide community of mothers, we are so close to enacting this important legislation into law. What we need is an intense dose of public pressure. This Blog Day helps reinforce the type of grassroots movement that will create the pressure that is needed, and I commend the participants."

"Intense dose of pressure" means calling the Capitol operator at 202-224-3121, asking for the Senators mentioned below in this post, and speaking up.  It means getting yourself on Susan Stone's list of individual and organizational supporters (email her at susanstonelcsw@aol.com).  It means writing an editorial or letter to the editor describing why passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act is so important.  

Senator Menendez indicated that much of the strong opposition to this bill continues to come from Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma who refuses to pass any of what he calls "disease-specific" legislation.  Here's the part that absolutely kills me:  Dr. Coburn specializes in family medicine and obstetrics.  Dr. Coburn has personally delivered more than 4,000 babies, according to his bio.

Yes, you heard me right.  The chief Senatorial opponent of this bill is an OB.  Am I living in an alternate reality here?  Did somebody spike my coffee? Have I officially arrived in Bizarro World?  Hellooooo?!  Bueller?!  If you'd like to call Senator Coburn's office to register your confusion, here's the number: Dr. Coburn's office in Washington: 202-224-5754, Tulsa: 918-581-7651 and Oklahoma City: 405-231-4941.  They're going to be hearing an earful from me today.

(Perhaps Senator Coburn doesn't realize that Oklahomans get postpartum depression too.  And that part about being against disease-specific legislation is BS, since he himself wrote legislation about the prevention of AIDS in infants, which sounds pretty disease-specific to me.) 

This is NOT a Democrat vs. Republican issue.  In the interest of full disclosure (don't hate me, my dear liberal friends), I am a moderate conservative.  I don't get how conservatives talk so passionately about the sanctity of family and the sanctity of life and then can't be moved to do something that will obviously support new families.  Yes, that's you, Republican members of the Senate HELP committee:  Sen. Micahel Enzi (WY), Sen. Judd Gregg (NH), Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), Sen. Richard Burr (NC), Sen. Johnny Isakson (GA), Sen. John McCain (AZ), Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Sen. Tom Coburn (OK) and Sen. Pat Roberts (KS). 

It is the HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) that has the power to move this bill to a vote on the floor of the Senate.  There is no Democratic opposition to this bill, there is only lack of Republican support.  So here's what we need to help the Republicans, as well as your own state Senators who will eventually vote on this bill, understand:

*  Postpartum depression and related illnesses like postpartum psychosis are party-blind.  Just as many Republican families will suffer from these illnesses and Democrat or Libertarian families -- nearly 1 million families each year in the US.  We need your help.

*  Senator Menendez has worked hard to reach across the aisle and ensure that the language of the bill was changed to accommodate the concerns of Republicans as well as outside parties like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  There is no mandatory screening, for instance.  There should be no concerns remaining that would prevent you from getting behind the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act and helping mothers.

* Postpartum depression is a very real illness.  Its negative impact on the physical and emotional health of mothers and newborns is well-documented.  This is why such organizations as the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Children's Defense Fund, the National Association of Social Workers, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, American Psychiatric Association and the Suicide Prevention Action Network, among others, are fully behind it.  This is also why some of the families who have lost their daughters, wives and children/grandchildren due to this illness are behind the Melanie Blockers Stokes MOTHERS Act 100%, including Carol Blocker, Joan Mudd, the Gibbs family, Helena Bradford and the Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation.

* Working to identify causes and improve treatments of these illnesses will only reduce the healthcare costs related to postpartum depression, particularly if we are able to begin preventing these illnesses from occurring or becoming more severe thanks to the funding that is part of this bill.

By the way, I asked Sen. Menendez what it is that makes him so passionate about supporting women with postpartum depression, considering he has not had first-hand experience with the illness himself.

"It came to my riveting attention by former first lady of New Jersey Mary Jo Codey.  Her stories were very moving to me in terms of the challenges she faced.  She made a very clear and compelling case and that's how I first got engaged.  Since then, though, I've heard from so many other families, including hearing from men who've expressed the consequences of postpartum depression on their families."

I'm so glad we have his leadership to help us move this forward.  He can't do it all by himself though.  Now's the time for that intense dose of pressure.

Blog Week for the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Kicks Off Today

Today kicks off the 2nd official Blog Day for the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERs Act.  This year's event is being led by Lauren Hale over at Sharing the Journey, and she has actually turned it into Blog WEEK for the MOTHERs Act to ensure that everyone has the chance to participate.

If you don't have a blog you can join in on Facebook or Twitter about it.  If you do have a blog and decide to participate, make sure to use the tag "Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act" and to leave a comment here so that Lauren knows you've joined in.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, make sure you and your readers email Susan Stone at susanstonelcsw@aol.com to add your name to the growing list of people supporting this much-needed legislation.  Be sure to include your name and state in the email.

Here are some other bloggers already weighing in today: Perinatal Pro, Sharing the Journey -- Lauren's interview with Mary Jo Codey, Ivy's PPD Blog, The Postpartum Stress Center, Motherscribe, Minnesota Madre, Just Gliding Along, Binsi Blog, WellPostpartum, Mommies with Cents, There She Grows, PPD in Paradise, Stumbling Barefoot and Beyond Blue

When I led the first blog day for the MOTHERs Act in 2007, I didn't think we'd need a second one.  Yet here we are.  I'm frustrated that Congress continues to string mothers along, playing politics while women and their families suffer needlessly.  This is not a game, dear Senators.  We need you to act, just as the House of Representatives did thanks to the leadership of Carol Blocker and Rep. Bobby Rush.  (If you'd like to read the text of the bill, click here.)

Here's a list of some of the supportive and courageous moms who support the MOTHERs Act from the 2007 Blog Day -- click the links to read some of their amazing stories and find inspiration: Beyond Blue, The Well Mom, Flamingo House Happenings, Parentopia, Unexpected Blessing, The Silent I, The Chronicles of Munchkin Land, BlogHer, The Maha Blog, Pundit Mom, Fertility Stories, Kari's Couch, Stella Family Update, Ask Moxie, Long Noodle, You Shall Above All, Been There, Empty Wound Hopeful Heart, Go-Go Mommy, We All Fall Down, DC Metro Moms Blog, The Hatfields, Adoptionblogs.com: Birth-First Parent Blog, 5 Resolutions, Viva La Feminista, Chicago Moms Blog, The Gus Stop, Spin Me I Pulsate, Welcome to My Brain, Maternally Challenged, Earth Change, Postpartum Mental Illness Yahoo! Group, SoCal Mom, My Life With Mr. Rogers, All of My Days, Life Outside the Box, The Integrated Mother, The Mummy Chronicles, Shelly Says, Boogiemum, Mom of 3 Girls, Life After Baby, Healthy Concerns, Pop Consumer, Ruta Nonacs: A Deeper Shade of Blue, Surfette, Growing A Life, Central Sanity, ShortWoman, Women 4 Hope, The Dana Files, Center for Women's Mental Health Blog, martinimade, This Full House, Motherscribe, Don't Try This At Home, Not Calm (dot com), Boston Mamas, Work It, Mom!, PPD Survivor, The Fish Pond, Sofia's Diary, The Online PPD Support Group, Ask Dr. Manny (FOX), Amazing Instant, Surrender, Dorothy, Silicon Valley Moms Blog, Sarah and the Goon Squad!, Strollerderby, Is America Burning, Moms Speak Up, Babylune, Strollerderby: Armchair Activism, The Postpartum Stress Center, MamasInk, Marriage, Stillbirth & Infant Loss Blog Directory, Tough Like A Creampuff, Vevz, My Om Page, Mountain Momma, My Scrapbook Life, The Political Voices of Women, The Toddler Reality Show, The Huffington Post, Roc Rebel Granny, Renton Kidspot, MacEwan, O for Obsessive, Pretty Babies, Odd Time Signatures, Mom's Tinfoil Hat, A Girl's Gotta Spa, Claire Bear, Not That I Don't Love My Kids, Silicon Valley Moms Blog: Beth B, Silicon Valley Moms Blog: Mommaof1, Skeet's Stuff, ifferjen's blog, Tumble Dry, Coping With Life (follow up story), A Mile in My Berks, Nickie's Nook, Do the Yak, Mrs. Flinger, Club Mom: Mom's Daily Dose, Amerimama, Deep Muck Big Rake, Blondie At the Bar, Screamy Thing, VDog and Little Man, A Piece of My Mind, hip Mama, LaurieWrites, The Happy Geek, Wendy's Thoughts About Anything and Everything, The Daily Court, Missives from Suburbia, Trenches of Mommyhood, Daring Young Mom, Kovixen, I Hate Snaps, Minivan Bohemian, A Daughter's Touch, Managing Life Transitions, Coping With Life, So Sioux Me, Dawn's Recipes

Midwives Endorse MOTHERS Act

The National Association of Certified Professional Midwives has announced its endorsement of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  "As midwives we know first-hand the crucial important of support for women during hte postpartum period, including the value of home-based health and support services," said Mary Lawlor, President of the NACPM.  Thank you!

ALSO, the Postpartum Resource Center of Kansas has added its endorsement of the MOTHERS Act.  Thank you so much!

And the Massachusetts General Hospital Women's Mental Health Center has written about it as well, encouraging those who are interested to send in their names!

 

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Brooke Shields Speaks In Support of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act

Click on over to Perinatal Pro to read Brooke Shields' latest statement in support of passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act ...

Second Official Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act on April 20th

Lauren Hale at Sharing the Journey will be hosting the 2009 Blog Day for the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHER's Act on April 20th.  Here's a bit of what's on the agenda:

On April 20th we're holding an online rally.  One we hope will spill over into the phone lines of the Senate HELP Committee and onto the desks of Senators on Mother's Day, showcasing the support America has for the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mothers Act.  The focus of this rally is to increase signatures to a growing list of supporters at Perinatal Pro and encourage calls to the Senate HELP Committee.  

Lauren will be featuring an interview with Mary Jo Codey on that day.  For more information on how to participate, click here.  Get your typing fingers ready!

Is Postpartum Progress A "Money-Making Promoter" of Big Pharma? You Decide.

There are some people who are so vehemently against passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act that they have decided to say misleading things about the people who are outspoken in their support of it, including me.  I realize those people have created the picture of me in their minds that helps them perpetuate their beliefs, and that it is fruitless to try and affect that image.  Thankfully, what they think has little bearing upon my happiness or my work.  I do, however, care very much what you think, so I want to correct some information regarding the articles being spread around with false or misleading information, in case you've seen them.

I'm not what they have called a "money-making promoter".  I don't make money from Postpartum Progress.  Period.  In fact, instead of having a six-figure job in marketing like I used to, I now have a zero-figure job, or to be more accurate a negative-figure job.  It really burns my ass when someone suggests that I exist to profit off of Big Pharma considering my husband and I pay out of our own pockets for all the expenses associated with this work.  Money that we don't get back.  I won't quit, though, regardless of how much it costs.  You're worth it.

I DO hope to make money in the future, hopefully the near future.  I believe the work I do has a value and that someday I will be able to make enough of a small living that it will cover the costs of Postpartum Progress and also allow me to do MUCH, much more to support women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.  I have dreams of winning the lottery just so that I could create transportation funds for women who can't get to their healthcare providers, pay for childcare, cover healthcare costs for those who have been diagnosed but don't have insurance, fund more research ...

As you can see if you look around a little bit, there is currently no advertising on Postpartum Progress.  I used to be with the BlogHer advertising network, but I withdrew because most of the ads -- Ragu spaghetti sauce, anyone? -- just had nothing to do with the topic of postpartum depression.  I didn't want to clutter up limited space for no reason.  I would, of course, welcome an advertiser or sponsor to help me accomplish all that I'd like to ... like say Similac, Graco, Gerber, Baby Bjorn, Huggies, The First Years, Tiny Love ... you get the picture.  A trusted brand that women use during the perinatal period. 

You might ask yourself why Postpartum Progress doesn't have advertising for antidepressants.  I happen to have a policy (stated quite clearly in my editorial policy for anyone worth their salt in investigative reporting to find) against any pharmaceutical company advertising, because I wouldn't ever want anyone to question my motives on this blog.  Here is the policy, verbatim:

"While Postpartum Progress is open to funding from a variety of sources via online advertising, we do not accept or publish any pharmaceutical company-provided information or editorial direction (with the sole exception of pharmaceutical company press releases which we may use as the basis for a news story).  No pharmaceutical company, or any other corporation, has ever affected anything that has appeared in Postpartum Progress.  Ever."

These people have also called into question whether I suggest books on this website simply because, unbeknownst to you, I make money from recommending them.  I don't.

"We do list books about postpartum depression and related disorders on this site, but we receive no funding or kickbacks or any other consideration for placing the books on our Read Up list other than the occasional free review copy."

I've probably gotten about 10 or so free books that I keep in my personal perinatal mood and anxiety disorder library.  If you think that means I'm some kind of sneaky money-making promoter, well, I'm just not sure what else to tell you.  I do also provide endorsements for certain books (the kind that appear on the back cover) but only after being asked, reading them entirely, and saying what I truly believe about the book.  Usually I won't do an endorsement unless I happen to know the book's author really well and truly believe in what they're doing.  Also, I don't make money off of any of the educational conferences and events I tell you about -- as a central source of news on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders it is just part of the job to try and let you know everything that is going on. 

In the interest of full disclosure, let's talk about what I have gotten paid for, not because it is really anybody's business, but because I'm an open book and I really don't care.  I received $2500 last year when I was selected by WebMD as one of its four Health Heroes of the Year.  (I guess WebMD must be in on my conspiracy with the drug companies.)  The money went to Postpartum Support International since it could only be given to a non-profit organization.  Working with PSI, I plan to use some to improve the functionality of this blog and the rest to do some research.  Other than that, the only thing I've made money on is my speaking engagements.  In 2008, Mental Health America of Georgia hired me to do a presentation on the spectrum of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders around my state.  They paid me about $5k I think, which was funded through a grant made to them by Pfizer.  In the presentation I shared information on ALL of the treatments available for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and share all of the potential benefits and the negative risks of each method of treatment. 

These people seem to think it obvious that I want all pregnant and postpartum women on the planet to be drugged.  Heavily.  Perhaps they haven't seen the following kind of commentary on Postpartum Progress:

"If you have a doctor who hands out antidepressants like candy and doesn't talk to you about the risks, get another doctor.  If you have a doctor who refuses to allow anyone to take medication during pregnancy and doesn't understand the risks to you and your baby of untreated mental illness during pregnancy, get another doctor.  If the healthcare professional you're going to is an extremist on either end, they're not fully informed and that's not fair to you." 

Perhaps they haven't seen the various stories I write on treatments that don't involve medication, like this recent one about research into the effectiveness of peer support:

"I think it's just fantastic that a free and non-medical intervention can be of such help."

Or here.  Or here.  Or here. Or the ones I've written about problems with medication, like here.

Perhaps they also haven’t heard me give my speech where I talk every single time about the fact that there is no 100% safe psychotropic medication for pregnant women to take, that anyone who tells you otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about and that informed consent is extremely important.  I talk about the fact that even though current research (and I highlight the fact that it’s current and things may change) shows there is little absolute risk in taking antidepressant medication while pregnant, the minimal risk currently known to exist is a very important consideration for every mom.  Each woman should be able to make her own decision, free of stigma about her choice.

If one looks at any blog out of context, or only searches for that which proves her point, she is likely to get the wrong impression.  If you've been following Postpartum Progress since 2004, you know that this blog has one single purpose:  to provide education and support to the women who suffer and the people who care for them.  That is why I put very little extraneous information on this site:  I rarely discuss my children's latest exploits, or what I ate for dinner or how my vacation went, because it's not really relevant to a reader who is in the midst of hell.  Instead, I write about research, and support groups, and books on the subject, and what other women are saying about their experiences.

They also insinuate that my background in marketing and public relations was with pharmaceutical companies.  If they were truly the investigative reporters they say they are, they would know that while I worked at the PR firm of Cohn & Wolfe I worked on the Bausch & Lomb, AT&T and Coca-Cola accounts for the 1996 Olympic Games.  I have NEVER, not even for one minute, one memo or one meeting, worked for a pharmaceutical client or consulted to a pharmaceutical client.  Insinuating so to try and make your point is really taking the low road.

There is, however, one thing I wrote that these people brought up where I actually agree with their characterization that it promotes medication, unwittingly I might add.  They point out this old piece I wrote:

"On another page titled, "The Art of Psychiatric Medication," Katherine tells women to hang in there if a medication does not work because for her diagnosis of OCD, she states:

I've taken many medications, including Effexor, Celexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, Wellbutrin, Luvox, Cymbalta, etc.  Throughout all of them I was on the road to recovery.  Some just worked better than others at treating my symptoms."

She ends the commentary by telling women: "You will find the right medication for you, and you will get better." 

I wrote that back when I knew a whole lot less about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than I know now.  I also wrote that back when I knew a whole lot less about being an advocate and trying to help others.  I had a very myopic view of the world -- I only knew how to talk about what happened to me and then I applied that to everyone else, which is of course ridiculous.  I figured since I took medication to get better, everyone else did too.  I've learned a lot since then.

It is true that psychiatric medications work differently for different people, and that if medication happens to be part of your treatment you need to be prepared that you may have to try more than one.  That is an important bit of information to share.  What I also should have said,though, is that my first psychiatrist who put me on all those meds was horrible and untrained and a total nightmare.  It wasn't until I left him and found someone who had specific experience in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders that I got a whole lot better.  She and I talked in depth about the variety of treatments available to me, I chose to take medication and attend therapy weekly, and the speed limit on my road to recovery went from 35 to 70 mph.  In that post I also should have said that your first therapist may not work for you, or the first naturopathic treatment you choose may not work for you.  The point I was trying to make, although not very well, was not to give up on recovery.  What matters to me is that you GET BETTER.   Don't ever give up on getting better.

I plan to continue to attempt to create a better experience for women going through perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than I had.  I take Postpartum Progress VERY seriously and will continue to do so.  I try only to put information on these pages that has been researched and published by trusted resources.  If those resources become untrustworthy, or the information changes, I will try and share that with you as well.  I know you know that.  But I still had to say it, for the record.

MOTHERS Act To Drug America's Moms For Fake Postpartum Depression

Wake up, Warrior Moms.  Wake up people who work to prevent child abuse, people who work to prevent suicide, people who work to prevent preterm births, people who care about healthy families.  Wake up, people who care about motherhood.  Wake up, women of America.  Wake up psychiatric professionals, nurses, OB/GYNS, pediatricians. 

Here's an actual text of a communication being sent far and wide by the very loud and vociferous opposition to the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act to support increased funding, education and research for postpartum depression (the underlining is mine):

"This MOTHER'S Act, with its innocuous sounding name will mandate
"mental screening" for Pregnant women. This will lead to many more
young mothers being labeled with fraudulent psychiatric conditions and
many of them will be put on dangerous psychiatric drugs even while
they are still pregnant.  This is already happening in some states
such as New Jersey with the state legislature previously passed  a
similar bill.

With your help, we were able to stop this  Federal bill dead in its
tracks last year, but the drug lobby apparently never sleeps and
they got it through the House of Representatives.

Now we need some fast action from  thousands of doctors and patients
across the country  -  in the form of phone calls and faxes to their
US Senators to stop this bill from passing in the Senate ..."

Let's be VERY, VERY clear.  There are some people who, for whatever reason, have decided to convince others that the singular purpose of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act is to line the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies and drug our nation's mothers.  If you think they aren't calling their Senators and Congresspeople you are mistaken.  They are very convicted in their feelings and they call WAY MORE than we do. 

If you believe what they are saying is true, then I'm not sure why you'd be reading this blog.  Because chances are, if you read this blog, you know for a fact, as sure as death and taxes, that there is nothing "fraudulent" about postpartum depression or anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis, or depression and anxiety during pregnancy.  I find that deeply, completely insulting. 

I'm not sure what is so difficult to accept about the idea that women who are ill with REAL illnesses need help and we need our society to take more responsibility to help them, starting with the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  PERIOD. 

END. OF. STORY.

Have these people not seen the research?  Do they not know that women with untreated postpartum depression can go on to have chronic depression for the rest of their lives?  Do they not know that women with untreated depression during pregnancy are twice as likely to have pre-eclampsia, twice as likely to have a C-section, twice as likely to have a pre-term delivery and twice as likely to have their baby go to NICU?  Do they know the odds of developmental delay for children whose mothers' illness goes on and on and on and on?  Do they not know that suicide as a result of postpartum mood disorders is the leading cause of death for women postpartum in the US? 

You can sit by on the sidelines and watch them win, just like they say they did last year when the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act was NOT passed.  You can say I signed that petition last year so I'm not doing it again.  You can decide that your voice doesn't count.  You can let them convince the rest of the world that the MOTHERS Act is a conspiracy to drug the mothers of the world.  You can say I have too many other things to worry about.  You can say they're just the fringe and that no one pays attention to them, but you'd be wrong. 

I'm asking you not to.  Please do not allow more women and children to suffer when it's no longer necessary.  I don't care if you've never had PPD and it's not on your radar screen.  Healthy women, healthy children and health families should be on EVERYONE's radar screen.

Go to the DBSA and sign the petition. http://capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=12832296

AND, email Susan Stone at susanstonelcsw@aol.com and put your name on the state-by-state list of people who endorse this bill.

AND, call AND write your Senator or Congressperson: 

US Senate   http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

US House of Representatives https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml 

AND write about the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in your blog.

AND call or email every one of your organization's members today and tell them to get up and get to work for goodness sake.

AND join Postpartum Support International as it works to create more and better services and education for the women who suffer.  http://postpartum.net/become-member/

The emotional health of approximately 1 million American families EVERY SINGLE YEAR depends on this. 

Because honestly, if we can't get this one damn bill passed, how are we going to tackle the much bigger task of helping every single woman who needs help in this country?  How are we going to create funding for transportation and childcare for women who can't get to their doctors because they have no car and no babysitter?  How are we going to develop a network of highly trained, effective healthcare providers who are willing to treat women with no insurance?  How are we going to fund more research to find out the exact causes of these illnesses so we can develop better, more pinpointed treatments?  How are we going to make sure there are support groups in every corner of this country, no matter how urban or how rural?  How are we going to educate doctors on preventing these illnesses in the first place by conducting social histories of their patients BEFORE they get pregnant?

This bill has been seven freaking years in the making. In those seven years, how much unnecessary devastation has been suffered?

 

 

Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Passes House Last Night

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act was voted on and PASSED as amended last night in the US House of Representatives.  You heard me right.  Wahoo!  Here you go with the details.  It passed with 391 votes for, 8 against, and 32 abstentions.

Now on to the Senate.  We may have to be patient, as the Senate is pretty busy these days, but that just gives us time to continue growing the list of individuals and organizations supporting this bill.  The list is now being compiled state by state.  Please make sure you are on it.  Here are states beginning with A through H, states I through M, states N through P,  and states R through W.  If you want to be on the list, email Susan Stone at susanstonelcsw@aol.com.  Give her your name, your STATE, and credentials if any (like MD, LCSW, etc) and/or whether you are an advocate, a survivor, a concerned citizen, etc.  If you represent an organization, list that as well.  If your state is looking pretty lame right now, you can help by reaching out to those who you know care about this issue.  Thanks!

P.S.  Do you have an organization whose members who would be interested in signing on as individuals in support of this bill?  Don't just leave it to putting the name of your organization as supporting the MOTHERS Act.  Check out New Jersey's list as an example.  I'm working hard on Georgia.

Carol Blocker Continues to Push for Postpartum Depression Screening & Education

Carol Blocker, mother of Melanie Blocker Stokes, for whom the MOTHERS Act is named, wrote yesterday to the Chicago Sun-Times asking why more hasn't been done in her own state to get increased funding and services for women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

"Other states -- eg., New Jersey have a law whereby new mothers must be screened and must receive information about postpartum depression and postpartum depression with psychosis and the risks. Why not in Illinois? Why not in every state in the United States? What are we thinking?"

Exactly.  For more on Carol, check out Susan Stone's article "A Mother's Plea" or visit Carol's website Melanie's Battle.  She is an amazing woman and has never quit working to gain greater help for all women who suffer.

Is Your Organization, Group or Blog on this List? It Should Be.

There are a wide variety of fabulous organizations that have signed on to endorse the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  Has yours?  If you have a statewide postpartum depression support organization, a healthcare-related organization, a group focused on parenting, birth, motherhood, a blog or anything of the like, and you'd like to add your group to the list of those that endorse this important legislation, please email me at stonecallis@msn.com.  Send me the name of your entity and whether it is a national or state organization (if state, tell me which one) and I will share that information with Susan Stone at Perinatal Pro, who is maintaining the overall list here. 

NASW & NOW Endorse Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act has had and is gaining wide support from groups involved in everything from the psychiatric field to women's rights.  Susan Stone over at Perinatal Pro (that one was for you, Susan!) shares that the bill has now been endorsed by the National Association of Social Workers and the National Organization for Women.

You can STILL sign the petition to support this legislation that was created by the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance.  Go to it!

It's Petition Signing Time! Get Out Your Virtual Pen & Support Women with PPD

Susan Stone over at Perinatal Pro is alerting everyone to the new petition created by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance to support the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  She states that last year's petition generated more than 24,000 signatures.  The petition has been reintroduced this year to try and get this legislation passed once again.  By clicking on this link, you will be taken to an advocacy alert page where you can scroll down, enter your zip code and generate letters of support in a matter of seconds for the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act that will be sent to your local Congresspeople and Senators.

I just sent my letters.  I know you're thinking "but I already did that last year."  Well that was then and this is now.  Do it again.  ;-)

 

Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Goes to Energy & Commerce Markup This Week

Susan Stone over at Perinatal Pro reports that the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act (HR 20) is scheduled for markup this Wednesday, March 4 in the Energy & Commerce Committee.  She provides a list of members of the committee you can contact to urge them to support the bill.  The next step after a sucessful markup, she says, would be a full House vote, followed by similar action in the U.S. Senate.  I would imagine the House vote won't be a problem since this bill has already passed in the House before. 

Senator Menendez Reintroduces Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in U.S. Senate

I wrote about bad news earlier today (it shows up below this post), but now I've received great news from Susan Stone, head of the President's Advisory Council for Postpartum Support International. 

Today, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) officially kicked off his efforts to secure an increased federal commitment to combating postpartum depression by reintroducing the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in the Senate.  Thank you for continuing to be so persistent and supportive of new mothers across this country, Senator Menendez.  Thank you, thank you!!

The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), has support from Senate leadership. It was nearing passage last year, despite being blocked from a vote on the Senate floor by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who has objected to this and other bills targeting specific diseases on ideological grounds.

“We gained significant support for this effort to combat postpartum depression over the last two years, which makes me optimistic that we will be able to deliver this gift to new mothers,” said Senator Menendez. “Increasingly, my colleagues in the Senate are learning about the vicious, debilitating nature of postpartum depression and how it affects families, and they understand why this initiative is so important. We have to attack postpartum depression on all fronts – with education, support, and research – so that new moms can feel supported and safe rather than scared and alone.”

The new legislation would increase federal efforts to combat postpartum depression by:

• Encouraging Health and Human Services (HHS) to coordinate and continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and find treatments for, postpartum conditions. 
• Encouraging a National Public Awareness Campaign, to be administered by HHS, to increase awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and psychosis. 
• Requiring the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study on the benefits of screening for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. 
• Creating a grant program to public or nonprofit private entities to deliver or enhance outpatient, inpatient and home-based health and support services, including case management and comprehensive treatment services for individuals with or at risk for postpartum conditions.  Activities may also include providing education about postpartum conditions to new mothers and their families, including symptoms, methods of coping with the illness, and treatment resources, in order to promote earlier diagnosis and treatment.

PPD News as the New Year Begins ...

Lots of news.  So much in fact that I'm not sure where to start ...

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) has reintroduced the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act (HR 20).  Let's hope the 111th Congress can get this through both houses once and for all!

The Postpartum Dads Project is looking for guest bloggers.  Topics can range from new parenting advice to divorce survival.  They prefer a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder angle in all articles.  Guest bloggers can be male or female.  Please send ideas or completed articles to submissions@postpartumdadsproject.org. 

Shoshanna Bennett has just released her new book, Pregnant on Prozac.  The book covers mental health concerns facing women who are pregnant or thinking about pregnancy.  Safety information regarding medication and alternative treatments in pregnancy for depression, bipolar disorder and other illnesses are discussed.  You can order it through the PSI bookstore by clicking here.

Mary Jo Codey recently appeared on the ABC affiliate in New York to share her story about postpartum depression and promote passage of the MOTHERS Act.  Watch it here!

 

Urgent News on the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS ACT

Urgent news from Susan Dowd Stone, LCSW, chair of the President's Advisory Council of Postpartum Support International, after Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) once again blocked a vote on the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act this week:

"While our Senate heroes, U. S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), co-sponsors of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, and their supporters lost a battle in the U.S. Senate this week, we have not lost the war against postpartum depression and services for our nation's mothers. Indeed, this setback is not due to the lack of national support for the legislation, but a defiant blockade by one person, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who has singlehandedly obstructed this and other legislation by using a procedural loophole never meant to overturn the will of the people.

While Senator Coburn himself failed to appear at yesterday's hearing, sparing himself and his conscience further consideration of facts which would have made such action impossible, he sent a surrogate whose mission was to continue his objection to the legislation, thereby "denying relief to hundreds of thousands of mothers who suffer from the condition each year" according to Senator Menendez.

Despite the setback, Senator Menendez reaffirmed his commitment to continue this critical battle. "Hundreds of thousands of women across the country suffer at the hands of postpartum depression every year, and they deserve better than the ideological games being played with legislation intended to bring them relief," he said. "This is a cause I am committed to seeing through, and I will continue to stand up on behalf of mothers suffering from this condition until the blockade is cleared."

Among the MOTHERS Act's champions is former New Jersey First Lady Mary Jo Codey, Carol Blocker, mother of the woman for whom the legislation was named who died from postpartum illness (who prays everyday this bill will pass), Brooke Shields, who spoke passionately in support of the legislation at a Capitol Hill Press Conference, Valerie Plame Wilson, who wrote about her experiences with postpartum depression in her best selling book "Fair Game", Joan Mudd who lost her daugher to postpartum depression and formed the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Foundation in Chicago, IL, and many others who remain staunchly committed to this issue.

Congressman Bobby L. Rush who sponsored the bill's counterpart in the U.S. House of Representatives, saw it pass in October 2007 with a nearly unanimous bipartisan vote. It would likely have enjoyed the same fate in the U.S. Senate long before now if legislators were as interested in representing the will of their constituents as they were in continuing current political stalemates that serve no one.

"The effects of pregnancy and postpartum depression and anxiety can be devastating to the mother, the baby, the partner, the family, and society," said Birdie Meyer, President of Postpartum Support International, the bill's lead organizational sponsor.  "Passing the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mother's Act would have provided nationwide education and recognition of this illness. Childbearing women and their families deserve to have this education in every city, every hospital, every clinic, everywhere."

"After years of needless suffering, American women need the relief that would have been provided from increased research into the causes of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, better education of healthcare professionals to identify and treat these disorders, and grants for programs and services to help women recover," said Katherine Stone, former director of marketing at The Coca-Cola Company and creator of Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the U.S. on postpartum depression. "It is critical to foster healthy family development by preventing the serious physical and mental health problems affecting both mother and child that stem from undiagnosed or improperly treated postpartum depression."

Dr. Shoshana Bennett, former president of Postpartum Support International, and a survivor of two life-threatening, undiagnosed postpartum depressions, urged the Senate to reconsider this bill.  Sylvia Lasalandra, author of "A Daughter's Touch" and a longtime advocate for the legislation who traveled to Capitol Hill to speak in support of its passage, echoed those sentiments, adding "Shame on you Senator Coburn!"

Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, chair President's Advisory Council, Postpartum Support International, said "It seems our Senate has lost its way - this continuing blockade by one Senator offers a troubling analogy to the current financial crisis. Within our federal mortgage agencies, decisions made by a very few deaf to constituent welfare and subject to minimal oversight have brought our country to the brink of bankruptcy. And today, a decision made by one person refusing to defer to his constituents' will and the indisputable science, research and statistics that support the need for this legislation, means thousands of innocents will continue to suffer. More lives will be lost. More families will be irreparably damaged. And more children will suffer the consequences of untreated maternal depression. Only 15% of women suffering with these devastating disorders are ever diagnosed and treated. Billions for the guilty, not a dime for our nation's most critical and innocent social dyad of mother and child."

When did such legislators decide that in the world's greatest democracy, individual opinion trumps society's need, consistent research findings and responsibility to constituents? Coburn is a doctor who participates in funding decisions for NIH and NIMH yet apparently remains unmoved by their perilous findings indicating that untreated maternal depression is a public health crisis. When one legislator can overturn the will of a country, we are no longer living in a democracy.

We will again await its inevitable passage at the next Congressional session when reason may more strongly prevail. Below is an outline of the bill's urgent and noble purpose:

The legislation would increase federal efforts to combat postpartum depression by:

• Coordinating and continuing research to better understand the causes of, and treatment for, postpartum conditions. Also, supports a National Public Awareness Campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and psychosis.
• Creating a grant program for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression.
• Conducting a study on the benefits of screening for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.

It is estimated that postpartum depression (PPD) affects from 10 to 20 percent of new mothers. In the United States, there may be as many as 800,000 new cases of postpartum conditions each year. The cause of PPD isn't known but changes in hormone levels, a difficult pregnancy or birth, and a family history of depression are considered possible factors."

Groups supporting the legislation:

• Postpartum Support International
• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
• American Psychological Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• Children's Defense Fund
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• March of Dimes
• Mental Health America
• American College of Nurse Midwives
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• OWL- The Voice of Midlife and Older Women
• National Women's Law Center

John Walsh and Others Speak Out in Support of the Advancing America's Priorities Act

This afternoon I participated in a press conference call hosted by Americans United for Change, featuring a group of people all supporting bills within the Advancing America's Priorities Act.  Speakers included:

• John Walsh of America's Most Wanted supporting the Combating Child Exploitation Act which will increase resources in the fight against child pornography and other internet crimes against children;
• Bruce Morgan of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation promoting passage of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Act which supports and enhances cooperation in paralysis research, rehabilitation and quality of life programs for people with paralysis;
• Lee Page of Paralyzed Veterans of America, also supporting the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Act;
• Alvin Sykes of the Emmitt Till Justice Campaign supporting the Emmitt Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which will strengthen the ability of the federal government to investigate and prosecute unsolved murders from the civil rights era; and
• me, Katherine Stone, speaking on behalf of Postpartum Support International in support of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which as you know will help provide more education about and research into perinatal mood disorders and services for the women who suffer.

In a sad way, it was comforting to me to learn that so many other people are as frustrated as we are in trying to get bills passed to provide assistance to everyday Americans who need real help.  Some of these organizations, including PSI, have been waiting for many years to get the Senate to take action.  Mr. Walsh talked about how frustrating it is to watch the government spend "$5 billion to photograph ice crystals on Mars" while Congress continues to delay taking action on bills that would change the lives of people here in the US on day one.  As he said so eloquently, "This is not about a bridge to nowhere.  This is about Americans -- the sacrifices they make and the obstacles they face."

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Moves Forward!

Send your letters:  http://capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=11668371 Let those Senators know how you feel!

Here's a message from Susan Stone, past president of PSI on this weekend's potential work in the Senate:

Today, America's mothers, infants and families have reason to be encouraged and to reach out to their state senators to again request their support of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in its final push to passage.YOU HAVE BEEN HEARD and this morning, Majority Leader Reid introduced a package of bills called Advance America's Priorities Act which now includes The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act. Senators Robert Menendez (NJ) and Richard Durbin (IL) have been working very hard with Majority Leader Harry Reid and Chairman Edward Kennedy to pass this legislation. 

These initiatives will be considered over the next week.

Your renewed advocacy and attention is especially welcome RIGHT NOW!  We need to continue make it deafeningly clear how important this bill is to women and families all across America.  The online petition in support of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act has been reintroduced and we invite your signature and call to your state senators office. If you wish to write a personal letter, this would also offer welcome support. By clicking on this link you will be connected to the petition and information on how you can reach your senator and sign the petition.  http://capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=11668371

We are almost there!! After years of unfathomable and needless suffering, American women may finally get the relief offered through increased research into the causes of perinatal mood disorders, better education of healthcare professionals to identify and treat these disorders, and grants for programs and services to help women to recovery. Thanks for the tremendous efforts which have brought us to this point and your steadfast participation in this final effort.

My Letter to the U.S. Senate

Go here.  Send a letter now.  Here's mine:

Dear Senators:

I represent tens of thousands of readers of Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the United States on perinatal mood disorders.  I hear from these women every day about the suffering and isolation they're experiencing while going through the devastation of postpartum depression and related illnesses.  They want to know why they weren't warned and what could have been done to prevent it.  They want to know why there aren't more services available to help them recover, from local support groups and trained healthcare professionals to better information into the causes of perinatal mood disorders and the impact of various treatments.  We know from research that untreated perinatal mood disorders are a serious public health threat --they can lead to chronic depression in the mother, behavioral problems in the child and stress-related health problems in both -- yet 90% of all women who suffer are never treated.  This serves as an enormous financial cost to our health system and even bigger social cost to our communities now and into the future, and it will continue on perpetually until we break the cycle and take the lead to proactively educate pregnant mothers, support increased research and train our healthcare providers.  I know this as a child of a mother who went through PPD, whose mother had it as well, and as a woman who had postpartum OCD herself.  Please pass the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  By doing this, you will immediately begin to create healthier families all across America.

Sincerely,

Katherine Stone

U.S. Senate: Are TVs More Important Than Moms?

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".

DBSA President Writes About MOTHERS Act

Here is Sue Bergeson, president of the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance, writing about the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act on BipolarConnect.com.  She says 16,000 people had signed the petition to support the MOTHERS Act as of May 21st.  Many many thanks to DBSA for supporting such an important bill.

NJ's The Record Covers Scientology's Opposition to the MOTHERS Act

More people are figuring out that the Church of Scientology is behind some of the opposition to the MOTHERS Act.  I already knew that from the number of advisors to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a Scientology-founded organization, who have spoken out against the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act for postpartum depression research and support.  The article was published by The Record in Hackensack.

Online Petition Keeps Spreading for MOTHERS Act

We're up to 13,000 signers now for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance's online petition supporting the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mothers Act for postpartum depression.  Here are some more bloggers who have supported the cause, and believe in more funding for research into the causes and treatments of PPD ...

• Not That I Don't Love My Kids
• Fertility Stories
• Coping With Life
• Scobberlotch

Here's my question ... where the heck is everybody else?  How many millions of you out there have suffered depression and know how horrible it is?  How many of you wish there was more clarity around these illnesses?  Please join us in supporting the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.

PPD Warrior Chicks Rock!

Postpartum Depression Warrior Chicks (and the supportive "roosters" out there), you rock!  The Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance's online petition to support the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act has now reached nearly 12,000 signatures in a week and a half.  I'm so excited for you and all of the other concerned people around the country who are taking action to show they care for new mothers.

Do we need more signatures?  ABSOLUTELY!!  Those U.S. Senators need to hear completely loud and clear that we believe the women of America deserve more research into the cause of postpartum mood disorders, better trained healthcare providers and greater awareness to reduce the stigma.  Keep pressing on your friends, and loved ones, and church members, and neighbors, and pets with opposable thumbs to sign, sign, SIGN!  Let's get 100,000 signatures -- don't forget, 800,000 women in America suffer from postpartum mood disorders each year. 

Here is the link again to the DBSA online petition, which is supported fully by Postpartum Support International (and Postpartum Progress, of course!): http://www.capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=11246546

We especially need to hear from people in the following states:  Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maine, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Mississippi, Utah, Connecticut, Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kansas, Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Idaho, DC, Alabama, South Dakota, Montana, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Wyoming.  If you know people who live there, give them a shout out and see how they feel about the MOTHERS Act.  Bloggers in those areas, please help us out.  I hope more people from those states will be able to join us in supporting this bill, which is about taking positive action against a devastating illness.  I've got a Mississippi family contingent that I'm going to start calling as soon as I'm done with this post!! 

Supporting Mothers Everywhere

Have you signed the petition yet?

http://capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=11246546

Here are some other women who are speaking up in support of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act:

• Mental Health Notes
• Healthy Concerns
• Out of the Valley
• Postpartum Perspective
• Giggles and Gulps
• Dig Your Toes In

MOTHERS Act Losing Momentum -- Online Petition Needs Your Signature

It's time to talk about the Melanie Blocker Stokes (MBS) MOTHERS Act again.  I know, I know.  We've heard this all before, you're thinking.  I already called my Senator, you're thinking.  I already wrote about this on my blog, you're thinking.  Sheesh!, you may even be thinking.  Well, apparently everything you and I have done so far in support of this bill hasn't been enough. 

As you may know, there are some people who are completely convinced that the MBS MOTHERS Act is a conspiratorial plot by the government to drug pregnant and postpartum women, and it must be STOPPED AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You and I know that's not true.  So we've kind of ignored the negative campaign -- been slightly pissed and sometimes even truly annoyed but gone on with our day because it's silly and we have lots of more important things to worry about than some misguided folks.  But the U.S. Senate can't ignore it when lots and lots and lots of people speak out.  That's how they work, right?  Polls.  When they hear from lots of people on a certain issue, they tend to go in that direction.  Right now our Senators are hearing from a whole host of people who think it's a really bad idea to pass this bill -- a bill that provides funding for increased research into the cause and treatments of postpartum mood disorders, provides better training for healthcare providers and provides for an awareness campaign so that more women will know about these illnesses and realize that they can get help. Those people, bless their hearts, are very vocal and have every right to say what they think. (Tom Cruise must be very pleased.) 

Conversely, those who believe in the MBS MOTHERS Act are not being anywhere near vocal enough. Our Senators are NOT HEARING from enough of those of us who support it.  If this trend continues, this bill will not pass.  What happened to us, and to hundreds of thousands like us, and to our friends and sisters and mothers and girlfriends will keep happening.  Women will continue to think they've gone crazy, never to return to their old selves.  They will continue to live in fear of speaking up and telling someone about it.  They will continue to be afraid to lose their children.  They will continue to suffer, hurting both their health and the health of their children, because they won't get treatment.  Some might even kill themselves, or become so ill they harm their children.  That is unacceptable to me.  Is it acceptable to you?  I started this blog because I was damn well not going to let anybody go through the isolation and terror and ineffective treatment from an untrained doctor that I received.  Don't you feel the same? 

Postpartum Progress readers, and anyone who cares about postpartum mood disorders, I very humbly beg you to complete two very easy assignments:

1.  Click this link and sign this petition to support passage of the MBS MOTHERS Act.  It is as easy as pie.  Thanks to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance for getting the petition going.  All you have to do is fill out your name and address and click send, and it will be sent all the proper places.   The petition is also supported by Postpartum Support International.

2.  Forward the petition link to everyone you know and tell them to sign their name to it as well.

We need thousands of people to do this.  Not just a few hundred.  Seriously, thousands.  Please get clicking. And if you have a website, or an organization of proactive women and moms, or a blog, please get your readers/members involved ASAP.

P.S.  In case you're wondering, here is a list of the respected organizations that endorse the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act:

• Postpartum Support International
• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Children's Defense Fund
• March of Dimes
• American College of Nurse Midwives
• Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
• Mental Health America
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Women's Law Center
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
• American Psychological Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• Postpartum Resource Center of New York

If you would like to add your organization to this illustrious list, please let me know at stonecallis@msn.com.  (They can't all be part of the conspiracy to drug America's moms, can they???)
 

Postpartum Progress Speaks Out in Full Support of MOTHERS Act

I said I would speak out on the ridiculous campaign being waged through petitions and blogs right now to block passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act ... so here goes (hold on to your hats, folks):

I am truly peeved and disappointed at the breathless, hysterical ranting going on about the MOTHERS Act.  Many of those who oppose it seem to have done LITTLE to NOTHING to inform themselves about the actual bill and the organizations that support it.  Falsehoods are being spread.  Here are some examples:

"A federal bill that is dangerous to mothers and their newborns but being promoted under the guise of ensuring that 'new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services ...'  This is quite simply false ... it will push more mothers onto dangerous antidepressant drugs ..."

"If this bill is passed, any money spent on screening will be a complete waste of tax dollars.  The results will be an INCREASE in the severity and frequency of postpartum depression and an increase in violence and suicide."

"This legislation will ensure that new mothers and their families are also subjected to such treatment as they are screened for symptoms and provided so called 'help' that pushes these new mothers over the edge."

"The bill was originally proposed in response to the death by suicide of Melanie Stokes, a pharmaceutical rep. who took her own life by leaping from a balcony several stories off of the ground. Contrary to popular understanding it was not post-partum depression that killed Melanie, but the numerous antidepressant drugs she was taking ..." 

I'm not sure what algorithm they're using that would indicate that doing more to identify and treat these illnesses would lead to more PPD -- is this the new math they're teaching in schools?  And I have no idea how in good conscience they could spread lies about Melanie Blocker Stokes when her fearless and amazing mother Carol has worked so hard to get legislation like this passed so that other mothers can avoid the pain she has had to endure in losing her daughter. 

Now I know standards dictate that I don't share with you what these people are saying because it somehow gives them a voice.  But I'm blowing up the standards today, because I think my readers need to know exactly what is being said, so that you can be moved to speak up about it and defend the importance of the MOTHERS Act.  (One of the organizations behind this push is CCHR.  CCHR is the Church of Scientology.  Need I say more?)

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act does NOT recommend drugs or require drugs or endorse drugs.  What is does is the following:

• Encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate and continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and find treatments for, postpartum conditions. 
• Encourage a national public awareness campaign to be administered by HHS to increase awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and psychosis.
• Encourage HHS to make grants available for projects for the establishment, operation and coordination of systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression.

There is no nefarious undercurrent, no plot by "the man."  The simple point is to continue to look into the causes of postpartum mood disorders, to let people know they exist and to provide better support services for the women who have them and their families.   Period, the end.  Every woman has the choice to decline participation in a screening, and every woman has the choice to look at all of the various treatment options available to her and choose the best one for her, whether it includes medication, therapy, alternative treatments, support groups or some combination thereof. 

Do I agree that we must be careful to only treat those who are ill?  Of course.  Do I agree that we must be careful in the types of treatments that are used, and must recognize the risks of taking certain treatments as well as the risks of not taking them?  Of course.  But I will not allow fearful conspiracy theorists to derail what is most important, which is getting our country's healthcare system to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, recognize the prevalence of postpartum mood disorders, learn more about their cause, allow new mothers who are suffering to feel safe in getting professional help and identify the best and safest treatments possible.

Please add your thoughts.  Scroll to the bottom of this post and look for the comments link to speak out.  C'mon girls - USE YOUR VOICE.

Here are links to other great comments about the opposition and the importance of supporting the MOTHERS Act.  If I've missed your response, let me know and I'll add it to this list.

• Susan Stone, President of PSI - this is so beautifully written - you MUST read it
• Spin Me I Pulsate
• Buoy for Perinatal Blues & Beyond
• Postpartum Perspective
• Unexpected Blessing/Sharing the Journey
• Depression Introspection

PSI Responds to False Rumors About MOTHERS Act

Stories have been circulating on the web and elsewhere disseminating falsehoods about the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  Postpartum Support International has shared a response to those falsehoods that is very important for everyone to read.  I'll offer my response separately.

It has come to the attention of PSI that misinformation about the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act and its lead sponsor, Postpartum Support International (PSI), is being aggressively circulated on the web.  This bulletin suggests protest against the bill's adoption on false belief, and implies that PSI's interest in the legislation emanates from its funding by pharmaceutical companies.  These assertions indicate the bulletin's authors have neither read nor understood the legislation nor sought verification of PSI's funding sources, which are available to the public.  The following is true:

1.  PSI is not, nor has it ever been, funded by pharmaceuticals.  Our funding comes from private donations, memberships and our own fundraising efforts.  It appears our fine organization was mischaracterized without any attempt to verify this false assertion.

2.  The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act does not mandate screening, the use of medications, or any other form of involuntary or coercive engagement in unwanted services for perinatal mood disorders.

3.  Melanie Blocker Stokes leapt to her death as a result of postpartum psychosis which was not promptly diagnosed and treated.  Her mother, Carol Blocker, has devoted her life to the passage of this protective legislation named for her daughter.  Her death was not the result of medication misuse.

4.  To further clarify and summarize, the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act encourages the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to coordinate and continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and find treatments for, postpartum conditions.  It also encourages a national public awareness campaign, to be administered by HHS to increase awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and psychosis.  It encourages HHS to make grants available for projects for the establishment, operation and coordination of systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression.

It is most unfortunate that any organization would attempt to dissuade public support of critical legislation by circulating erroneous information about the bill's contents and intent.  Please call or visit PSI's website to read the legislation or submit any questions.

Menendez & Rush Say MOTHERS Act Legislation Nearly Complete

This week, the offices of Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) announced they are finalizing the new federal postpartum depression legislation for its anticipated victory in the U.S. Congress.  The legislation, which was called the MOTHERS Act, has been slightly renamed as the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  This is in order to honor the mother whose name served as the title of the House bill that passed this fall.  Melanie was a beautiful and successful new mother who committed suicide in 2001 while suffering from postpartum depression. 

Many bloggers took part in a big legislative push this October by participating in Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act, hosted by BlogHer, Postpartum Support International and my blog Postpartum Progress.  I believe the action many of you took through your blogs and your phone calls to speak out about the need for more education and better treatment had a huge influence on legislators moving forward so quickly.  I hope we will continue to make our voices heard as we get closer to bill passage.  It is expected that the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act may be passed in early spring or possibly sooner once America's legislative bodies reconvene.  It appears that Democratic support is substantial, but some Republicans still need convincing.  Postpartum Support International president Susan Stone has been informed that she and others will be contacted when the timing is right for renewed advocacy supportive of the bill's passage.

As many of you know, the 2007-2008 BlogHers Act has been focused on harnessing the power of women online and their blogs to address maternal health.  This issue includes postpartum depression and related mood disorders, which can have a devastating effect on new mothers and their families.   

 

Latest Update on Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act

We're up to 124 blogs participating in Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act -- that I know of.  Let me tell you that your calls are making an impact.  I talked to Senator Isakson's office of Georgia yesterday (I live in GA) and they said they had been hearing from lots of people and that whatever we were doing was working.  How about that??!!!!!  So if you haven't called yet, please do, and pass on the word.  And let me know if you hear anything from your Senators about what kind of impact we're making.  Power to the people!

Melanie Blocker Stokes Act Passes in U.S. House!!

On Monday, October 15th at 4:15pm, perinatal mental health history was made as H.R. 20, the Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 382 to 3!!  "What a thrill it was to watch from the Congressional Gallery as Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) made his final, victorious push for American, children and families," said Susan Stone, president of Postpartum Support International.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Congressman Bobby L. Rush, Carol Blocker (who lost her daughter Melanie to this terrible illness), Susan Stone and Postpartum Support International, and all the other people who have toiled for years to get this passed. 

This is huge.  Now we just have to get the MOTHERS Act passed and we'll be IN BUSINESS!  Money for research!  Screening for new moms!  Training for healthcare providers!  Wahoo!  Get your telephones ready on October 24th to make those calls to Senators!!!

Help Mothers Everywhere: Join Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act on October 24th

(crossposted at BlogHer and Postpartum Progress)

A beautiful young mother of two has been missing in Rhode Island now for more than a month.

Her name is Katie Corcoran and she is suffering from postpartum psychosis.  She was supposed to be released from the hospital to her family, but on September 5th, in some kind of mix-up, she was sent off in a taxi instead.  Her husband, small children, family and friends haven't seen or heard from her since.  This week, a friend of the family emailed me the following letter from Katie's mother, Nancy, to publish on my blog Postpartum Progress:

Katie,

This is your mom - please call home.  I want to know if you are safe.  I think about you all the time.  I worry about you.  I want to take care of you - with love and understanding.  You have always been my pride and joy.

Please.  Please call.

This story and so many others like it fill me with deep sadness and regret.  Women who commit suicide.  Women, like my mother, who don't know what's wrong with them, don't get treated and become alcoholics to escape the pain.  Women who reach out for help but are ignored or stigmatized and feel that hurt for the rest of their lives.  I regret that in this day and age we still don't know enough about dealing with postpartum mood disorders that something like Katie's disappearance could happen.  She is out there somewhere, hopefully alive, most likely delusional and alone.  And it's not her fault.  Before this she was a perfectly normal person.  She just happened to draw the short straw for postpartum mood disorders, and now she's lost. 

You and I can do something about this.  Maybe we can't just drop everything, go off in a plane to parts unknown with a picture of Katie in hand and search for her, but we CAN do something ... for Katie and for all the other mothers past and present and future who have suffered or will suffer from these illnesses.

On Wednesday October 24th, BlogHer, Postpartum Support International and Postpartum Progress are joining together to host Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act.  We're asking bloggers from around the country to write about the MOTHERS Act for postpartum depression on the 24th and to encourage their readers to pick up the phone that day, call their Senators and urge them to endorse this critical legislation.  I hope you will join us in this effort, which is part of the overall BlogHers Act 2007-2008 initiative to improve maternal health.

What is the MOTHERS Act?  The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, or MOTHERS Act (S. 1375), will ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services.  In addition, it will increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.  The bill is sponsored by Senators Menendez and Durbin.

Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers -- as much as 800,000 American women each year.  Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment.  Let me repeat.  With all we know and as smart as we are, only 15% of 800,000 women will get diagnosed and treated.  That is so wrong on so many levels.  Women are not being diagnosed because they're not being educated and they're not being screened.  Untreated, the consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death.  The impact of untreated maternal depression on infants/children ranges from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and, in the worst case scenarios, death from infanticide.

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 healthcare 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.

The bill is currently with the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate.  If the majority of the HELP Committee members endorse the MOTHERS Act, the bill will move forward for consideration by the Senate.  Without Senate sponsors, the bill could languish in committee and await reintroduction at a future date.  The moms of America can't wait for that.

Most Senators rarely hear from mothers (and others!), and phone calls from you and your readers will cause them to sit up and take notice on a specific issue.  Writing or sending emails has much less impact.  With your support, Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act can truly have a measurable impact.

Here's what to do on October 24th: 

• Grab a Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act button from BlogHer here and display it on your blog now.
• Tell your fellow bloggers about Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act so they can participate too.
• Visit the Postpartum Support International website and click the Welcome Bloggers button at the top to get all the information you need about the bill, how your readers can call their Senators, what to say, etc.
• Publish your post on postpartum depression and the MOTHERS Act on Wednesday, October 24th and don't forget to tag your post with: Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act, BlogHers Act, BlogHer, Postpartum Progress, Postpartum Support International, postpartum depression
• MAKE THOSE CALLS!!
• Once you've blogged, be sure to go back to the BlogHer page and leave your URL so others can link to you.
• I also welcome you to visit me at Postpartum Progress and leave a link to your blog or a message to my readers, most of whom are sufferers and the people who care for them.  If you have a question, email me at stonecallis@msn.com.

By the way, if you're not a blogger, I still encourage you to participate by calling and asking those around you to call their Senators to galvanize support for passage of the MOTHERS Act.  The more calls the better!!!

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.    

Rush Gains Committee Approval for Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act

A hearty congratulations to Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) for receiving a unanimous, bi-partisan vote from the full Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection to advance H.R. 20, the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act.  The bill will now advance to the floor of the House for a full vote before moving to the Senate.

The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act requires the National Institutes of Health to expand its research efforts with regard to depression during and after pregnancy, and also provides for increased funding to execute a national public awareness campaign. 

Congressman Rush has been working on this effort for six years, and we thank him for his dedication!

Shields, Menendez, Rush & Codey to Introduce MOTHERS Act in Senate Friday

This just in from Senator Menendez' office!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

On Friday morning, leading into Mothers’ Day weekend, actress Brooke Shields will join U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Mary Jo Codey, wife of former New Jersey Governor Richard Codey, and others to announce the introduction of The MOTHERS Act in the Senate.  The legislation would initiate new federal investment in postpartum depression education, detection and treatment programs for new mothers. Similar legislation – the Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Act – has been introduced in the House by Rep. Rush.

WHAT: In lead up to Mother’s Day, introduction of anti-postpartum depression legislation in Senate

WHO:   Brooke Shields; Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ); Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL); Mary Jo Codey, longtime postpartum depression awareness advocate, wife of former New Jersey Governor Richard Codey; and Carol Blocker, whose daughter, Melanie Blocker Stokes, took her own life after battling postpartum depression

OTHER SENATORS/SPEAKERS TBA

WHEN: FRIDAY, May 11, 10am

WHERE: 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building (Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing Room), Washington, DC

Great Commentary on May 1 Hearing

Read this post from the Perinatal Project -- click here!  It's right on about the May 1 Congressional hearing about the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act.  Rep. Nathan Deal (who is from my state, no less) is a JACKASS.

Update on May 1 Congressional Hearing

Here's information from Congressman Bobby Rush's office:

The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will conduct a hearing entitled "H.R. 20-The Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Act", aimed at curbing postpartum depression, an illness that affects new mothers. With an estimated 400,000 new cases by the end of this year, postpartum depression is the single most frequent serious complication of pregnancy. Unfortunately, research and treatment for women of color remains disproportionately ignored.

Who:  Carol Blocker, founder of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Foundation, Dr. Nada Stotland MD of the American Psychiatric Association; former New Jersey first lady Mary Jo Codey

What:  Subcommittee hearing on postpartum depression

When: Tuesday, May at noon

Where: 2123 Rayburn House Office Bldg.

Hearing on Melanie Blocker Stokes Act To Be Held May 1st

PSI President Susan Dowd-Stone informs me that there will be a hearing on the Melanie Blocker Stokes Act on May 1st. 

In addition, The MOTHER's  Act is scheduled to be reintroduced in the Senate soon.  Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has now signed on as the lead Republican Co-Sponsor, which was a very important step.  If you have not yet written or called your Senators and local Congressman, or even if you already have, call and write them now and urge others who care to do so as well.  For more information on these bills and how to reach your state's legislators, click here.

If you are a Republican, it is even more important to reach out, as they have lagged behind in supporting these bills.  I reached out to Republican Senators Saxby Chambliss and Jonny Isakson in Georgia with the following letter:

Please support the MOTHER'S Act, which has now been co-sponsored by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Me).  As a Republican and a past sufferer of postpartum depression, for the life of me I can't understand why more Republicans don't get on board with this issue.  You should understand the importance of healthy moms in the first year of their children's lives and thereafter.  Please, PLEASE support this legislation.  Thousands of women in Georgia each year suffer from postpartum mood disorders, and Georgia even has one of the top treatment/research facilities at the Emory Women's Mental Health Program.  Georgia should be a leader in this effort!