Brooke Shields takes postpartum depression message to Congress

In a Mothers Day appearance on This Week With George Stephanopoulos, actress Brooke Shields spoke out in support of ‘The Mothers Act,’ a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday which seeks to assist health-care providers in identifying and treating postpartum depression (PPD). 

The legislation is similar to a bill already pending in the U.S. House of Representatives known as the ‘Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act.’  According to Brooke — who suffered from PPD after the 2003 birth of her first daughter Rowan and penned the best-selling memoir Down Came The Rain; My Journey Through Postpartum Depression — there is no better time for Congress to act than now.

We read about what happens when postpartum depression is untreated.  And we think ‘oh, those are just the extreme cases’…But the thing is, there is an entire population of women suffering and it’s so much more prevalent than anyone really wants to admit.  And its time, I believe, for Congress to step in and prevent that, and actually save lives and save potential tragedy.

In unedited video footage of the interview, Brooke spoke candidly about her own PPD experience after Rowan’s birth.   

On what life was like before her diagnosis:  I was not really aware that I had it.  It was devastating to my whole family.  I had gone through numerous attempts to have a baby and then I did finally have this beautiful, healthy perfect baby and it all but destroyed me.  I couldn’t hold the baby, I couldn’t do anything for the baby, I couldn’t look at the baby.  My knees would get weak and I would just cry all day long and I thought I’d made the worst mistake of my life … it all but flattened me. 

Continue reading for more highlights of Brooke’s interview.

 

On why women hesitate to talk about their experiences with PPD:  I think there’s a huge stigma surrounding postpartum depression.  The stories we read about often result from postpartum psychosis…there’s a whole range between (postpartum depression) and postpartum psychosis, a range of how it affects and who it affects and why and the biological aspects of it. 

But I think that in this society we are taught that being a mother and becoming a mother is the most glorious thing you could ever do, the most natural thing … and we are taught that the moment you have a baby your life becomes focused, you gaze down at your child and all is right in the world.  And what happens … just the biological shifts in a woman’s body are mentally devastating, and there’s so many different things that happen, and so many changes, and we are taught that if you don’t do this beautifully then you are wrong.  You are bad.  You are not a good mother.  You are not a good woman…Our culture and our society does not support defective mothering.

On the purposes The Mothers Act will serve:  The Mothers Act is very straightforward, actually.  It deals with the dissemination of information, pre-screening, early-screening…Research will be provided, treatments will be expanded.  Women just need to be informed.  The power of knowledge is extraordinary…Knowledge of postpartum depression is a tool that I believe all women deserve, and this bill represents that tool.  It’s an easy gift to give to women everywhere.

In addition to Rowan, who turns 4-years-old this month, Brooke and husband Chris Henchy are proud parents to a 1-year-old daughter, Grier. 

Sources:   USA Today, This Week With George Stephanopoulos

Comments

I love the way she (or someone else) words her statements. I was treated for Post Partum Depression after both of my sons’ births (although it was less scary the second time because my husband and I both knew what we were dealing with and the steps we needed to take to get better). It’s not an easy thing to talk about, because most of the women who talk to went through some “baby blues” and think that you’re just overdramatizing your symptoms. I didn’t have any animosity toward my babies, or my husband, or any aggression or avoidance of anyone – it was just a paralyzing anxiety where I felt like my emotions were out of control, and I felt hopeless that I would ever feel better. No real tears, except out of fear, just numbness that wouldn’t go away. I was such a wreck that I couldn’t eat, and if I did, I’d throw up (with a C-section – that DOESN’T feel good to your healing stomach muscles!)- after delivery, within two weeks of leaving the hospital, I had lost 50 lbs, and I was nursing!
Since it has happened to me and my family twice, if I choose to have one more baby, my ob and I already have a contingency plan for the steps to take after delivery if I feel (or my husband or mother feels) like I’m spiraling down that path. I feel lucky that I have a supportive doctor, a wonderful husband who keeps me feeling safe and loved and thankful during those dark times, a mother who suffered through much of the same type of thing with her babies and who can coach me with all sorts of relaxation techniques and methods of dealing with anxiety. I hope this legislation is a step toward giving postpartum moms the help they need, should they need it. It’s also just good to have it “out there” where people talk about it. I make sure to let all of my friends who have babies know, gently, that if they have the baby and need someone to talk to, at any point, day or night, that I’m there. Not that I’m hoping that they’ll need me, by any means – just a friendly reminder.

- Carrie on May 13th, 2007

Thank you Brooke for raising awareness of this issue! Thanks CBB for continuing to cover this issue too!!!

- wavybrains on May 13th, 2007

I am SO glad that this legislation is being pushed! I, personally, struggled with what would be more properly termed as “postpartum anxiety.” My symptoms included severely decreased appetite, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, racing thoughts, and just a feeling of DREAD each morning when I woke up. I am SO grateful that I WAS informed about PPD, from being in nursing school and from my mom and sister’s-in-law experiencing PPD. My husband was supportive, as was the nurse-midwife that I was working with. I know, however, that this ISN’T the case for many, MANY women: They aren’t properly informed about PPD and they don’t have adequate support. So I belive this legislation would save lives and just make motherhood what it WAS intended to be: A JOY!

- Candace on May 13th, 2007

I think Brooke is amazing for doing this!!! I really admire her, not only for standing up about an issue like this that has such a stigma attached, but also being the better person in the Tom cruise situation, I think what he did regarding this situation was HORRIBLE and he had no right, but Brooke didn’t seem to hold a grudge, (I know she certainly seemed to hold less of a grudge than I did and it was directly against her!) and I really admire that she was able to do that.

- Diana on May 14th, 2007

Like Brooke, I went through years of infertility (8 years of trying). Ended up getting pre-eclampsia and having my daughter 6 weeks early. She was in the NICU for 2 weeks and then came home. That is when my trouble started. I have never felt the way that I felt. It was extreme anxiety, racing thoughts, not being able to eat or sleep, pacing, being afraid to be with the baby etc… it was horrible. I am lucky because I realized something was wrong and was not willing to deal with it. Actually surprised me in who was supportive and who was not. Luckily after a 24 hour stay at a psych ward I found the postpartum resource center in my area. With medication, counseling and a support group I am basically 100% the person I was before. The first 11 weeks of my daughters life are pretty much a blur and I don’t remember much. PPD and Postpartum anxiety are very scary and very real. I am so glad for once that a celebrity is speaking out about something that is very serious.

- Stacy on May 14th, 2007

Five months after giving birth to a healthy child, Melanie Blocker Stokes, beautiful and accomplished in her professional and private life, decided to jump off a high rise building to her death. Melanie suffered from postpartum depression, which is a mental illness that afflicts millions of women nationwide. It is a devastating mood disorder which strikes many women during and after pregnancy and is the single most frequent serious complication of pregnancy.

Ever since Melanie took her own life back in June of 2001, I have become an advocate for aggressive research, education, and treatment of this disease. I have been working on legislation since 2001, and while the then-republican lead Congress dragged its feet—hundreds of thousands of women battled this serious illness without support. I fully believe that if men suffered from postpartum depression, that Congress would have passed my bill a long time ago.

Nevertheless, I am excited that after six long years, Congress is now poised to finally do the right thing for millions of mothers suffering from postpartum depression. With 120 co-sponsors, and growing, The Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Research and Care Act, H.R. 20 is well on its way to becoming law.

On May 11, my legislative effort was strengthened by famed actress and model Brooke Shields who has suffered from postpartum depression. Shields visited Congress to urge my colleagues for support both my bill and Sen. Robert Menendez’s similar legislation that he introduce on the Senate side.

The need for resources to combat postpartum depression grows more and more significant each year. Research indicates that some form of postpartum depression affects approximately 1 in 1,000 new mothers resulting in upward of 400,000 new cases each year. Of the new postpartum cases this year, less than 15 percent of mothers will receive treatment; although scientists argue, with treatment over 90 percent of these mothers could overcome their depression.

All too often postpartum depression goes undiagnosed or untreated. Unfortunately, what little research and treatment is available is even less accessible for minority communities. Too many new mothers are losing touch with reality with distorted thinking, delusions, auditory hallucinations, paranoia, hyperactivity, and rapid speech or mania. At an Energy & Commerce hearing on this bill, May 1, the National Institute on Mental Health stated that minorities were significantly under-represented in their research. Additionally, a representative from the American Psychiatric Association concluded that minority communities are under-reported and under-treated with regard to postpartum depression and the stigma of mental health.

Untreated, postpartum depression can lead to further depression, substance abuse, loss of employment, divorce and further social alienation, self-destructive behavior, or even suicide. Untreated, postpartum depression impacts society through its affect on the infant’s physical and psychological development, child abuse, neglect or death of the infant or other siblings, and the disruption of the family.

This is why I have been a tireless advocate for a national standard of care for health professionals and funding coming through Congress to the proper sources that will help eliminate this problem. Postpartum depression is a treatable disorder if promptly diagnosed by a trained provider and attended to with a personalized regimen of care including social support, therapy, medication, and when necessary hospitalization.

Congress must give new mothers nationwide more than just flowers and congratulation cards; we must give them the tools they need to combat and even avoid postpartum depression.

- Congressman Bobby Rush on June 16th, 2007

Here is a story of an ordinary woman who took strength from Brooke Shields’ ordeal:

Surviving Postpartum Depression
http://www.orato.com/node/2886
via http://www.orato.com

- Heather Wallace on June 29th, 2007