Postnatal Depression

Discuss Mental Health topics & issues.
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persephone
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Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 3:14 pm

Postnatal Depression

Post by 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).
Bad Girls have very high standards, but they love you even if you sometimes fall short.
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Lon
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Postnatal Depression

Post by Lon »

letha wrote: 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
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BTS
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Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:47 am

Postnatal Depression

Post by BTS »

Lon wrote: 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
"If America Was A Tree, The Left Would Root For The Termites...Greg Gutfeld."
lady cop
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Postnatal Depression

Post by 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?
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persephone
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Postnatal Depression

Post by 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.
Bad Girls have very high standards, but they love you even if you sometimes fall short.
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persephone
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Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 3:14 pm

Postnatal Depression

Post by 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 :rolleyes: ... She had tried to get help, seems medication was all he could offer :mad:

I'm hoping the GP has learnt from his mistake, it's cost his patient a lot.
Bad Girls have very high standards, but they love you even if you sometimes fall short.
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