Only one person that I saw mentioned the words "post-partum depression" in their post.
Thousands of children are killed every year by their own mothers who are suffering from post-partum depression. (Although this is not to say that every mother who kills or abuses a child has PPD.) PPD is a much misunderstood illness, and it can make people behave in ways that seem cold, calculating, lucid, and aware of their actions, whereas in reality they are not in control of their behavior. And it is attitudes like those expressed in this thread that keep mothers, husbands, and family members from understanding this illness and seeking help for those who need it.
Imagine you've just had a baby and it is
supposed to be the happiest time of your life. Our society has really glorified the process of childbirth and new parenthood. Meanwhile, you're feeling very unlike yourself, having uncontrollable thoughts of hurting your new baby, having thoughts of killing yourself, not knowing what to do. How do you go about asking for help? People will judge you for your uncontrollable thoughts, calling you crazy. No wonder so many cases go untreated and end up in tragedy, as did the Andrea Yates case. People knew she needed help. She had even been diagnosed with PPD after the delivery of her fourth child.
But as I said, it is attitudes like those expressed by people in this thread, or indirectly expressed, such as people telling Sula's mom to just believe in God rather than seek help, that contribute to the lack of treatment and prevention. Depression is a serious illness with a plethora of causes, many of which are physiological. As someone who has battled depression for years, I find the opinions about "insanity" in this thread extremely ignorant and ill-informed. It is this kind of stigma that discourages people with any kind of depression from seeking help.
Perhaps if Andrea Yates had received treatment, she would not be in this situation. What she did is certainly deplorable, but if she was indeed suffering from PPD, then the tragedy is even worse in that it may have been prevented. I guess my reason for writing this is the hope that people will learn more about PPD and realize that cases like Andrea Yates' happen all the time. Only education and active treatment and prevention can stop it from happening again and again.
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U2 @ The Blooming Heart