Husbands, keep an eye on your wife after she delivers your baby. Watch out for signs of post-partum depression - it can be devastating. Recently we had a woman who in retrospect had obviously been suffering from it for two months (bouts of uncontrolled crying, disinterest in the baby, locking herself in her room), put her 4 month old in the back of her car - in an unrestrained car seat and then took off into the night, lit up on ETOH and prescription drugs. When she went off the road, someone called the police. Thankfully there were no major injuries but when she got out of the car, she preceded to cut her throat (luckily superficially) and then brandished a knife at her little boy. The police managed to wrestle it from her and bring her into custody. The child was fine and was let go with her husband after a 4 hour child protective service evaluation. Still, the sad bit is that the woman was still catatonic after sobering up and is likely to be institutionalised for quite some time. Very sad.
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Hi ERP! Off The topic, I was just reading a news clip about a Father who ( in Turkey) buried his 16 yr old daughter alive for apparently talking to Boys! The article stated that she dies as a result of “blood curdling” but didn’t explain what that was! I am curious to know what that term means,I never heard that term before! Do You Know??
Thanks, Stacy
The only thing we can do is educate everyone about what PPD is and that there is no shame in asking for help.
I’m so glad I’m a guy…I can’t imagine the fluctuation of hormones that come with such an event! I see PPD as well and it always tugs at the heart.
That sounds like PPD that advanced to PP psychosis!! Horrible.
Have some friends whose daughter in-law went through that. It took a lot of love and persistance from family near and far to get her to get help. She is doing much better now.
Doc’s have come a long way asking the new moms questions and allowing them to honestly say whats going on. In the 1990’s no one dared to admit that they were having a hard time. I suffered in silence for 1 year. Thank God my husband was supportive, he knew there was something not right but still there were no support groups. You are right the HUSBANDS should be the first to notice.
Stacy - I don’t normally post but I have to help you out here:
Buried Alive! - “The autopsy result is blood-curdling…” All In The Name Of Muslim “Honor”
The cause of death/ description of injury is not blood curdling (n.). This means being buried alive is blood curdling (adj.); extremely alarming.
It seems sad that he didn’t notice this, but then again most people seem to be in denial about the existence of mental ilness - at least as something that could affect them or someone they love.
Sad that her family probably saw her decline for months - probably dind’t do anything out of shame.
Funny thing is no one ignores their relatives’ chest pain and shortness of breath but mental illness is just sort of accepted as the family norm. I’ll never understand why.
I had a good friend of mine drive off the road a few months after she gave birth. I thought it was just a wreck but found out on the news later that she had called 911 telling them she was going to kill herself. The husband was left with a little infant and kicking himself that he had denied the obvious. The crazy thing…she was a very, very happy person before this.