BlogHers Act: The MOTHERS Act
Last year my friend Tracy Thompson's book "The Ghost In The House: Real Mothers Talk About Maternal Depression, Raising Children, and How They Cope " was published. I was one of the lucky ones who got to read a few chapters before it hit the bookstore shelves. I thought (and still do, dammit!) it to be brilliant, insightful and informative. I figured it would fly off the shelves and Tracy would have a best seller on her hands. As a clinical social worker, I'm quite familiar with how common depression is among mothers, particularly new ones. I figured moms would scoop it up. Doctors would recommend it. The media would be all over it. And most importantly, mothers and others would benefit from the stories Tracy had gathered as well as what Tracy had experienced and written about. I was confident a destigmatizing of depression would be on the horizon and utterly obtainable. Finally!But it didn't work that way.
Why? Believe it or not she was told the topic of maternal depression was, get this, "Too depressing" and magazines would not cover the topic and discuss her work for fear their readership would become too bummed out. Seems to me their readership needs to know about depression since so many moms have it and may not even realize they have maternal depression. According to Tracy,"the stigma associated with discussing PPD is especially fierce."
Many cases of PPD go undiagnosed. Depression, particularly in new moms, gets easily masked by other symptoms; being tired, being hungry, gaining weight, losing weight, sleeplessness, too much sleep, irritability, tearfulness, sadness, anger, worthlessness, frustration, guilt...the list goes on. Bottom line another set of eyes and ears can make a hell of a difference between suffering and soaring thru motherhood.
Contact your senator. Let them know you expect their support for The MOTHERS Act and help obtain education, prevention, treatment and support for at least, as Tracy calls it, "just one chapter of maternal depression".
Hey, approving The MOTHERS Act would be one small step for our lawmakers and one giant leap for mom-kind!
Labels: Bloghers Act, Maternal Depression, Mothers Act, Post Partum Depression, Tracy Thompson, US Senate
posted by Devra @ 4:25 AM
8 Comments:
Great post! Well said.
"Too depressing." Ugh. That makes me ill, really. Depression IS depressing but it's important to talk about it, read about it and think about it.
Thanks so much for blogging about this.
Devra, great post!!! I remember when Tracy Thompson's book came out and thinking the same way you did, that she was going to get some serious conversation going and her book was going to have a big impact. If only.
It's so great you're writing about this and helping to get us all into action on this legislation!!! Thanks so much!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for writing about this today. If your readers haven't had a chance to call their Senators yet, I hope they will do it before the end of this week. Each call is SO important.
I put up a post about it, and I'm having a drawing for an autographed copy of Tracy's book.
Thanks for taking the time to spread the word. The good news is that postpartum depression is treatable, and in some cases may even be prevented. The MOTHERS Act will help us to educate women, their families, and their caregivers so that women suffering from PPD can get the help they need and deserve.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your support of the MOTHERS Act. Too often postpartum depression is a problem that goes unnoticed, and most women with PPD never receive any type of treatment. PPD is a treatable illness, and it is essential that we continue to educate ourselves and others about this important issue.
For more information on PPD, visit us at The MGH Center for Women's Mental Health
I don't think that any of you are aware of the fact that anti depressants can cause permanent sexual disfunction?
Maybe something to think about before going on psychiatric drugs. Because that is what the mothers act will provide for PPD.
Don't take my word for it however,
Google: "Antidepressants Do Cause Permanent Sexual Dysfunction"
if you want to see it for yourself.
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