Please note, for emergency help:
NYC Well NYC Well – Talk. Text. Chat. 24/7
1-800-NYC-WELL (800-692-9355)
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, please call 911
Call 311 for information about free and low-cost services and hotlines in New York City.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
On post pregnancy mood disorders & depression, etc
Articles, videos, and documentaries from around the web
Support and further reading from Park Slope Parents:
Member-recommended therapists and support people for PMADs
How to help a friend who is experiencing PPD
Warning Signs:
According to the Motherhood Center, "60% and 80% of women experience what professionals describe as the “Baby Blues,” or feelings of exhaustion, irritation, and sadness after having given birth. These symptoms typically begin anywhere from one to three days post-delivery and may last between two and fourteen days. If your feelings persist past two weeks, however, contact a professional; you may be experiencing Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs)."
They also say that "more than 15% of women experience postpartum depression, perhaps even more given that the diagnosis goes highly unreported."
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you think you may have PPD:
Do You…
- Have trouble sleeping?
- Find you’re exhausted most of the time?
- Notice a decrease in your appetite?
- Worry about little things that never used to bother you?
- Wonder if you’ll ever have time to yourself again?
- Think your children would be better off without you?
- Worry that your husband will get tired of you feeling this way?
- Snap at your husband and children over everything?
- Think everyone else is a better mother than you are?
- Cry over the slightest thing?
- No longer enjoy the things you used to enjoy?
- Isolate yourself from your friends and neighbors?
- Fear leaving the house or being alone?
- Have anxiety attacks?
- Have unexplained anger?
- Have difficulty concentrating?
- Think something else is wrong with you or your marriage?
- Feel like you will always feel this way and never get better?
Many new mothers will experience some of these feelings. If you answered yes to more than three of these questions, you may have postpartum depression (PPD). PPD affects 20-30% of all postpartum women. It is a real illness. It is very treatable. Do not deny yourself the opportunity to feel good again. Do not let misinformation, uncertainty, shame, finances, embarrassment, or denial get in the way of you seeking the help you need. Talk to your doctor. Talk to your husband. Once you decide to seek treatment, you will be on the road to feeling better…
The above is reprinted with permission from The Postpartum Stress Center, 1062 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 2, Rosemont, PA 19010. Phone: 610-525-7527. www.postpartumstress.com
Get more advice here about PPD:
http://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/
RESOURCES:
Support groups and people who can help:
NYS Dept of Health: Perinatal Depression
http://www.health.ny.gov/
NYC Dept of Health And Mental Hygiene: Post-Partum Depression
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/
1-833-9-HELP4MOMS – National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
https://mchb.hrsa.gov/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can help. Call or text 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS (1-833-943-5746).
Motherhood Center
https://www.themotherhoodcenter.com
The Motherhood Center recognizes that becoming a mom isn't always easy. Sometimes there can be moments of joy, but there can also be moments when you feel anxious or sad. If you have these feelings sometimes or a lot of the time, you are not alone, it's not your fault, and you will feel better with the right help. The Motherhood Center provides supportive services for new and expecting moms, including a range of treatment options for women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs.) Whether you are looking for a support group for new mothers, lactation consultation, individual therapy or more intensive services to help you feel better, The Motherhood Center offers something to every woman making the transition to parenthood. Staffed by experienced professionals, they take an interdisciplinary approach to tackling pre- and post-natal care, PMADs, and everything in between. Many of their support groups are on Zoom, others in person.
Brooklyn PPD Support
www.brooklynppdsupport.org,
Brooklyn PPD Support was established a peer-to-peer support group in Brooklyn in 2006 as a place where pregnant and postpartum women can get support if they think they are at risk for PPD or other perinatal mood disorder, are experiencing symptoms and need further help and resources, or are in the care of a therapist and want to attend the group as part of their treatment plan. The group is free, meets monthly, and babies are welcome to join us. Women are encouraged to attend for as many meetings as they feel are helpful, whether once for information or monthly for ongoing support. Please note that the function of this group is to provide a forum for the exchange of peer support. It does not replace care provided by a licensed mental health practitioner. Please understand that this is a closed group; only women experiencing symptoms of a perinatal mood disorder will be allowed to participate. Graduate students, researchers and well-meaning friends and partners may not sit in on meetings. Participation is free but RSVPs are required. Brooklyn PPD Support will give you the address details when you RSVP. Contact Molly Peryer (mollyatperyerdotorg; call 917-549-6012) or Chris Lindsay-Abaire (
Seleni Institute
The Seleni Institute is an independent nonprofit that works to destigmatize and transform the care landscape of maternal and family mental health. Seleni believes that changing a mother’s life, can change a child’s life. We do this through a hybrid approach that provides clinical services for individuals and families, and accredited training for healthcare practitioners.
Postpartum Resource Center of New York
www.postpartumny.org
This is a self-help organization established to provide emotional support, educational information and healthcare and support group referrals to mothers suffering from prenatal and postpartum depression (PPD).
Postpartum Support International
www.postpartum.net 805-967-7637
The Postpartum Stress Center
http://postpartumstress.com/
Postpartum Education for Parents
www.sbpep.org 805-564-3888
The Online PPD Support Group
www.ppdsupportpage.com
The National Women's Health Information Center
www.womenshealth.gov
1-800-9949662
ON POST PREGNANCY MOOD DISORDERS, DEPRESSION, etc:
- https://www.postpartum.net/blog/
- http://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/may-declared-national-maternal-depression-awareness-month
- https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/maternalchild/documents/PPD-brochure.pdf
- http://www.postpartumprogress.com/the-symptoms-of-postpartum-depression-anxiety-in-plain-mama-english
A Mother's Postpartum Depression Bill of Rights:
http://www.postpartumprogress.com/six-things-a-mothers-postpartum-depression-bill-of-rights
Brooke Shields:
- http://www.webmd.com/depression/postpartum-depression/features/brooke-shields-depression-struggle
- http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Postpartum-Depression
- https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/opinion/war-of-words.html
Gwyneth Paltrow:
Courteney Cox:
Books:
- A Silent Sorrow, Pregnancy Loss, Guidance and Support for You and Your Family by Ingrid Kohn, MSW and Perry-Lynn Moffitt
- Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields
- "Beyond the Blues": A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression by Shoshana Bennett
- The Mother-to-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book by Sandra Poulin
- Post-Natal Depression: Psychology, Science and the Transition to Motherhood (Women and Psychology) by Paula Nicolson
- Overcoming Postpartum Depression and Anxiety by Linda Sebastian
Articles & useful links from around the web:
- Postpartum Resource Center of New York's Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder State-wide Resource Directory
- NY Times: Thinking of Ways to Harm Her’ New Findings on Timing and Range of Maternal Mental Illness
- NY Times: After Baby, an Unraveling A Case Study in Maternal Mental Illness
- BBC: Post-natal Depression Radio Show
- May is Declared National Maternal Depression Awareness Month
- PSI Declares May National Maternal Depression Awareness Month
- Can You Prevent Postpartum Depression?
- California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative
- America's Mothers are Isolated, Anxious, and Depressed-- Here's Why
- Postpartum Depression Can Be Dangerous. Here’s How to Recognize It and Seek Treatment.
Video and Documentaries:
- Brooke Shields on PPD on Marlo Thomas.com
- Over My Left Shoulder / Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Pardon My Postpartum Documentary
- Clip from Documentary on PPD
- Post Partum Depression From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- Bundle of Blues
- NJ Department of Health
- CNN
Podcasts:
- Delayed Postpartum Depression & Anxiety Podcast Series
- Honest Mamas - Working with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
- Postpartum Diaries
- The Postpartum Party with Julie Fitzpatrick
- Slow Postpartum Podcast
Apps:
- Canopie From a member: "PPD is a really challenging topic and something that many of us find hard to talk about. I came across a really interesting app Canopie that has helped with better navigating my feelings."
Disclaimer: These posts have not been checked for accuracy but are instead listed to show the complexity and emotionality of PPD. The content is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for mental health and medical advice.
ParkSlopeParents.com is not intended to, and does not, provide mental health and medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical and mental health advice, or delay in seeking it, because of something you have read on the PSP Groups or on the PSP.com web site.
