Houston deaths Raise awareness of Post Partum Depression ?
The women could have met pushing strollers in the park,
sharing stories of sleepless nights, first smiles and
favorite lullabies. Instead, at a time that is supposed to
bring wondrous joy, they were all struck by postpartum
depression.
The women could have met pushing strollers in the park,
sharing stories of sleepless nights, first smiles and
favorite lullabies. Instead, at a time that is supposed to
bring wondrous joy, they were all struck by postpartum
depression.
The condition has been in the spotlight recently because of
Andrea Yates, a Houston woman said to have been afflicted
with the most severe form of the illness. She is accused of
drowning her five children in the bathtub June 20.
Authorities believe the recent cases do not mean there is
any surge in postpartum depression-linked violence, but
rather reflect a slowly growing awareness of the baffling
disorder.
She went to several doctors before finding one who
took her seriously when she developed postpartum depression
after the birth of her third child last year.
Postpartum depression happens in about 10 percent of
pregnancies and typically develops within the first few
weeks after childbirth, according to the National Institutes
of Health.
One problem is trying to figure out which women are
susceptible, since all women experience a hormone crash
after giving birth but only a fraction develop postpartum
depression,