Postnatal Depression

[persephone]

What is everyones take on it?

Is there enough understanding of it?

Especially when things have come to the worst climax and the child or mother have been seriously hurt?

If a mother hurts or kills her baby due to postnatal depression is she really to blame, should she go to prison or be given help via mental health treatment?

Should children be taken away (this I know can be on a semi-permanent basis)?


Just curious as to everyones thoughts, I've recently come across a case that has made me think that it's not taken seriously (can't go into details though).

[Lon]

Originally Posted by letha

What is everyones take on it?

Is there enough understanding of it?

Especially when things have come to the worst climax and the child or mother have been seriously hurt?

If a mother hurts or kills her baby due to postnatal depression is she really to blame, should she go to prison or be given help via mental health treatment?

Should children be taken away (this I know can be on a semi-permanent basis)?


Just curious as to everyones thoughts, I've recently come across a case that has made me think that it's not taken seriously (can't go into details though).

Whoops sorry!!! I thought it was Postnasal Depression

[BTS]

Originally Posted by Lon

Whoops sorry!!! I thought it was Postnasal Depression

I was diagnosed with Post Nasal Depression
in August 2006 and given medical (details below) and tinnitus started about 3 weeks into treatment. Not long after also had a traumatic life event, which included blows to the head. Tinnitus has usually gone by morning, but gets worse as day goes by.

Noises vary from a click to a whirhing, but mostly a very loud echoy sound. Sometime left ear feels blocked if I try and re-pressurise the ear. Quite bad headaches and some pain around right ear. Night-time is really bad, so sleep is a major problem. The tinnitus has caused my to suffer from depression (medication details below) and ear noises do get worse if I am Depressed. My sinuses feel blocked a lot of the time.

And that is how I spent my summer vacation in 2006

[lady cop]

Letha, i know you are a medical professional, so probably have definate opinions on this subject. you are probably aware of high-profile cases over here where the defense to murdering children was postpartum depression, most notably andrea yates who drowned her 5 children. there have been many others, it is the defense du jour. i know it is a real affliction, and certainly varies in its degree and intensity. i do think that if symptoms are present, someone has to take responsibility for protecting the children, whether it be the father of the child or the physician. in fact, a woman knows if she's feeling stressed to the max and should take some responsibility for her own health and mental state. as to punishment, prison or mental facility, i would reserve judgement on a case-by-case basis. i do know a female who shot her little twin boys in the head, killed them, she is blaming the antidepressant medication her doctor gave her, pure crap as far as i am concerned, her blood alcohol was 4 times the legal limit the night we brought her in. so where's the responsibility?

[persephone]

Strangely I don't, I had opinions everyone has about it, and often think it's been used as an excuse, until yesterday.

What about the women who have been to the doctor for help prior to anything bad happening?

And where there are other children but only the newborn is the one who suffers?

I've seen that personally, my friend had postnatal when her second was born, she doted on her first and just ignored the second until she snapped herself out of it, not saying she hurt her newborn, she just tried to pretend she wasn't there.

[Florrie]

Letha
PND, Postpartum Psychosis or Puerperal Psychosis is a very serious mental state. No two cases are exactly the same and even sometimes difficult enough for the professional to spot.
We also know that many women with this condition may even self medicate.
To the untrained eye many women might present as normal, even to own family members until something happens which involves the attention of emergency services.
Many may uncharacteristically resort to doing things, including taking all sorts of substances inc alcohol. Personally I have lost count of the latter (many who had never touched the stuff before) who thankfully had been identified before something dreadful happened.
In the UK pregnant women are asigned a Health Visitor HV ( registered public health/home visiting nurse) who visits regularly from 10 days after the babys birth.
The PND initial screen is carried out between 6-8 weeks and if a problem is identified mother is treated quickly, HV then visits weekly, with family and or support services utilised.
Of course there are some exceptions where an individual falls through the net but if a primary contact is not made at 10 days, and no luck with follow up within 28 days then Child protection services are activated.
The condition is always a traumatic event for all concerned especially the baby/ bonding process /children long term, especially boys.
Evidence suggests that sons of mothers who had PND end up in the juvenile justice system.

Thankfully my sisters son didn't end up on the wrong side of the fence albeit he's in the system allright but a detective. He was only 3 years old when she arrived at my door from the States with his 11 month baby sister in arms, and before the week was out was in the local hospital being treated for puerperal psychosis.
Luckly she had someone who recognised the symptoms straight away. Cant imagine how her contition was not recognised for 11 months!!!
I looked after her babies and she made a full recovery after 12/12.

[persephone]

Thank you for that Florrie, the case that made me think didn't slip through the net she was just never caught in time... 11 days and everything was too late

However the GP was no help, he couldn't do anything for her as she was breast feeding ... She had tried to get help, seems medication was all he could offer

I'm hoping the GP has learnt from his mistake, it's cost his patient a lot.

[Florrie]

Letha - Medication is the first line treatment for initial stages of (acute) PND.
Bf is not contraindicated unless mother refused, and sadly this is frequently the case.

[February_Stormz]

Originally Posted by letha

What is everyones take on it?

Is there enough understanding of it?

Especially when things have come to the worst climax and the child or mother have been seriously hurt?

If a mother hurts or kills her baby due to postnatal depression is she really to blame, should she go to prison or be given help via mental health treatment?

Should children be taken away (this I know can be on a semi-permanent basis)?


Just curious as to everyones thoughts, I've recently come across a case that has made me think that it's not taken seriously (can't go into details though).

My daughter developed depression during her pregnancy with constant mood swings that almost drove everyone crazy.

It was impossible to talk to her without the anger and depression. It got to the point that we wouldn't speak for weeks because of this problem. Nothing I could say or do as her mother was agreeable with her state of mind. It was awful because I thought it was me. That I was making her upset.

Many tears were shed on my behalf because of the frustration. She finally broke down crying to her OB/GYN who put her on a low dose of Zoloft which completely solved the problem. She is a different person and I am happy to say she is functional and happy.

I thinks its important that these symptoms during and after pregnancy are immediately diagnosed by a professional doctor. If untreated, this condition could very well be catastrophic.

If a mother murders her child, she should pay the consequences. This is only my opinion. I also think in some instances, a child should be temporarily taken away from its mother. I am not a psychologist, but post partum depression should not trigger thoughts of murdering your own child. And if it does, that should be a neon sign going off to "SEEK MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY". Again, this is only my opinion.