Question:
I've read the quote several times and I still haven't found where it says a single word about childbearing triggering this vague disorder. Why do you quote from the DSM-IV and then claim it says things it doesn't say?
Answer:
Anonymous showed that you would mix your quotes and your own words in ways that gave false impressions of what the quoted source really said. This looks like a variation of that tactic. Give a complex quote and then claim it says something
it doesn't really say. Why are you so very anxious to prove childbearing is very dangerous and causes mental illnesses? What are you trying to prove? I've know at lease a couple of hundred women among my family, neighbors, or coworkers who had babies.
I remember three or four who had an extended recovery due to physical problems. However, I do not remember a single one who developed a mental illness as a result of the birth. There were a couple who were a tad "ditzy" - but they were
that way BEFORE the births.Let me help you. (You can always, incidentally, purchase a copy of the DSM-IV [full text] or the little diagnostic book, the latter which is priced only at about $15.) Anyway, on page 302, Brief Psychotic Disorder has a
"postpartum onset" specifier listed, if the onset "of the psychotic symptoms is within four week postpartum." If you don't believe me, you are more than able to go to the library or bookstore and check out the cites that I provide, if they are from the DSM-IV. If they are from a journal, you can always go to the nearest university library and check out the articles yourself. I always provide references, and you can certainly access them since you live in a major city which undoubtedly must have a university nearby. Anonymous showed nothing. Half the time I had no idea what
he was saying, and he never qouted *anything* from any
journal or the DSM-IV. Anyone here can spout off opinions,
but without any reference that someone can look up, there is
nothing but hot air being blown. If you have a problem with
Brief Psychotic Disorder with Postpartum Onset, you can do
your own research, and post it with the sources so we can
look at them.
However, screaming "banana" and "monkey" and "I know more
then you do" does nothing on behalf of such a
poster--neither does posting from the ABC News web site. If you are so disinclined that you cannot get up from your
chair and go to the library, it is not my fault. That childbearing has its risks--but especially, that a
woman who will forgo an abortion because of its rare medical
or psychological dangers is in for a big surprise when she
finds out that childbearing has its attendant risks too. Since there are about 140,000,000 or so women in this
country, your sample size is quite small (.00014%). Maritza is right, you know- postpartum mental illness does occur, and is
not rare. If you look in the Index Medicus under “Postpartum Psychosis” you
’ll get 75 hits (ie abstracts posted in just the past 8 years). Here are
some of the better ones:
Childhood abuse, parenting and postpartum depression.
Buist A. Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria,
Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1998 Aug;32(4):479-87
Article Number: UI98377219
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: While the potential negative effects on children of
maternal depression has been documented, the influence of a maternal history
of childhood abuse on child development is unclear. This study, the first
stage of a 3-year follow-up study, looks at childhood abuse in women with
depression in the postpartum period. METHOD: Fifty-six women admitted with
postpartum depressive disorders were assessed with respect to their
wellbeing, relationships and infant interaction. Twenty-eight women had a
history of sexual abuse before the age of 16, nine physical/emotional abuse
and 19 had no history of abuse. RESULTS: The mother-infant relationship was
seen to be impaired in the sexually abused group (p = 0.007). The
significance increased when all abused women were compared to controls (p =
0.001). In addition, abuse was associated with more severe depression on the
Beck Depression Inventory (p = 0.046), and a trend to higher anxiety and
longer lengths of stay (p = 0.05 for physical abuse). Partners rated
themselves as being more skilled and confident parents. CONCLUSIONS: The
effect of childhood abuse was indistinguishable between emotional and
physical abuse in postpartum depressed women. The most significant effect
was a deleterious one on the mother-infant relationship in those women with
a history of abuse.
Proactive nursing: the evolution of a task force to help women with
postpartum depression.
Straub H , Cross J , Curtis S , Iverson S , Jacobsmeyer M , Anderson C ,
Sorenson M
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Boise, Idaho 83702, USA.
MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 1998 Sep-Oct;23(5):262-5
Article Number: UI98419226
Abstract: In response to several women who presented with postpartum
depression in 1 year, a group of nurses developed a task force made up of
hospital nurses, obstetricians, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family
practitioners, lactation specialists, home care nurses, and mental health
counselors. The purposes of this task force were to educate health care
professionals about postpartum depression, to help identify women who might
be affected, and to develop interventions for adjusting to parenthood. This
article details the evolution of that task force, and how it has assisted
not only the women but also the health care providers involved
Depression subtyping: treatment implications.
Clayton PJ. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
55455, USA.
J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59 Suppl 16():5-12; discussion 40-2
Article Number: UI99010884
Abstract: The complexity of subtyping depression and the implications that
such subtyping has on treatment choices are discussed in this article. The
most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) directs clinicians to classify the mood
disorders in depressed patients as unipolar, bipolar, due to a general
medical condition, or due to substance abuse. The focus of this article is
unipolar (major depression and dysthymia) and bipolar I and II disorders
with and without feature specifiers for atypical depression, seasonal
affective disorder, psychotic depression, and postpartum depression. Anxious
depression, which is not a DSM-IV classification, is also reviewed.
Group treatment for postpartum depression: a pilot study.
Meager I , Milgrom J. Alfred Health Care Group, Prahran, Victoria,
Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1996 Dec;30(6):852-60
Article Number: UI97187023
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: There are few reports on the efficacy of treatment
programs for women with postpartum depression, despite the long-term nature
of this disorder. This study describes a pilot evaluation of a treatment
program with educational, social support and cognitive-behavioural
components. METHOD: Ten women with persistent depression originating in the
postpartum period were offered a 10-week group treatment program and
compared to a wait-list control group. RESULTS: Following treatment, a
significant improvement in depression was demonstrated on the Edinburgh
Post-Natal Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Profile of Mood
States. Several common factors in women suffering from postpartum depression
were also identified, as were drop-out characteristics. CONCLUSION: These
results are encouraging and suggest that a cognitive-behavioural group
program might be effective as a treatment for depression in the postpartum
period. However, further detailed studies are required to conform this pilot
study.
These are only the 1st 4 articles- you could read the rest… Why are you
denying that mental disorders can be associated with childbirth? I'm not a
psychiatrist, but the information out there is so vast as to be obvious to
anyone!
