"Without two things, I don't know if I would be here today. First, on our local NPR station, I heard a story about the then recently opened perinatal psychiatry program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The team was able to place me immediately in a critical care outpatient program."
"I also had seen a flyer for our local maternal mental health support group Moms Supporting Moms. A year later I was a trained peer facilitator working our warmline (a phone service for nonemergency support) and meetings. And a few years after that, I was presenting with some of the incredible staff at Postpartum Support International."
"Postpartum depression and anxiety survivors are truly the strongest people I know. My son just turned 13 last spring, and not a week goes by when I don't marvel at the fact that I am here and how grateful I am for that."
A postpartum depression and anxiety survivor describes her nearly year-long crisis following her son's birth in 2012. She credits two critical resources with her survival: a perinatal psychiatry program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine that provided immediate outpatient care, and a local maternal mental health support group called Moms Supporting Moms. She progressed from patient to trained peer facilitator and later presented with Postpartum Support International staff. Reading about new drug treatments for postpartum depression prompted her reflection on the importance of continued research and support for mothers. Now, thirteen years later, she expresses profound gratitude for her recovery and the ongoing work to help families affected by perinatal mental health conditions.
#postpartum-depression #maternal-mental-health #peer-support #perinatal-psychiatry #mental-health-treatment
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]