There’s a sweet saying that has been plucked from the chamber of anonymous authors and found its way into popular culture and right into my heart: Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over… it became a butterfly. I just adore it. The large blue square-shaped magnet that displays these words is posted at […]
In light of the recent focus on the inexcusable ways some healthcare providers respond to acute distress in postpartum mothers, let us do some teaching here. Please share and inform your local resources. **NOTE TO ALL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS** Some postpartum women are afraid to tell you how they really feel. They are worried that you […]
So we’ve all read the top ten lists of how to survive the holidays. Even the PPSC came up with a list of how to find your holiday brave. It’s all over the Internet. Everyone has their own suggestions for what to do, what not to do, and how to do it. Sometimes these common […]
The Holiday crunch is looming. Shopping. Eating. Rushing. Family. Friends. Too much? Not enough? Excited about it? Anxious about it? Dreading it? Overwhelmed by it? Ambivalent about it? If you have a history of depression or are currently depressed, the weeks before and during the holidays can descend with crushing anxiety. It is easy to […]
It has been described how one’s own mind can “try to torment you with the thoughts of whatever it is you consider to be the most inappropriate or awful thing you could do” (Baer). Lee Baer, Ph.D., Harvard professor and author, describes how a person’s most vulnerable self can become engulfed by thoughts that cut […]
When your partner indicates (or when you perceive) a genuine or urgent need to communicate, with a look, a word, a cry, a motion, an utterance, or an outright request, you should: 1) Stop what you are doing. 2) Pay attention. 3) Respond with an expressed and loving intent to address or postpone. Remember […]
“Women with prior experience of taking antidepressants and greater illness insight were more likely to use antidepressants during pregnancy.” Interesting, don’t you think? In reviewing the article, Factors Impacting Decisions to Decline or Adhere to Antidepressant Medication in Perinatal Women with Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Deborah Crowley, MD acknowledges the difficult decision to weigh the risks […]
This is an incredibly interesting post from MGH. The author, Helen Kim, MD, reflects on the dilemma of medicating psychiatric symptoms during pregnancy. I hope you take the time to read it. She does an amazing job simplifying an extremely complex situation. She refers to the notion that we have somehow made taking psychotropic medication […]
Lauren Hale has written a compelling piece on her blog: Sharing the Journey in response to a recent article in Vogue called “Pregnant Pause” which looks at the complex issue of taking antidepressants during pregnancy. Here’s a link to article in vogue to which she responded. Lauren is a strong PPD advocate and articulate voice […]
This month’s Journal of Human Reproduction reports on a study that compared depressed and non-depressed pregnant women. The data indicates that the incidence of pre-term births is much higher for those women who suffer from untreated pre-natal depression. Because pre-term birth holds a myriad of medical risks for the infant, it is critical to assess […]
