Earlier this evening through a search on Twitter for #postpartum, I found a tweet mentioning that Postpartum Depression Expert Mike Silverman would be appearing on Issues with Jane on the Headline News Channel. So of course, I retweeted it. I regret having done so.
Issues with Jane is a sensationalist show. And the story was a horrific one out of Florida regarding a mother who was very very cruel to her children.
Once the possibility of untreated Postpartum Depression was brought up, one of the panelists could be heard in the background saying “oh please.” The very fact that Postpartum Depression was dragged into this is horrible. They went on to discuss young girls having kids and not knowing how to raise them, how the educational system was failing them, etc.
I have to say that I am very disappointed in this show. Instead of opening up about Postpartum Depression and educating, they further perpetuated the myth of sensational cases and behavior often involved in stigmatizing mothers who don’t feel so great/happy/fuzzy after the birth of a baby.
Thanks, Jane. Thanks so much for being a sensitive and understanding fellow woman. Thanks Dr. Mike for dragging Postpartum into this. Thanks for perpetuating the stigma instead of removing it. Way to go, guys.
My Postpartum Voice 