Pictured above is Wendy Davis, president and CEO of Postpartum Support International, speaking to a class of pharmacy students on April 2 at Worcester Celebration Hall.
Wendy Davis spent part of National Public Health Week on the campus of South Dakota State University, where she discussed her experience with America's unspoken public health crisis: postpartum depression.
Over the past decade or so, much of the U.S. population has become more knowledgeable about mental health disorders. However, a specific type of mental health disorder, postpartum depression, is still relatively unknown to the general public.
Postpartum Support International President and CEO Wendy Davis visits South Dakota State University's campus on Public Health Day to raise awareness and offer hope to those who have experienced postpartum depression. Ta.
“One in five births is at risk of dying due to mental illness alone, and at least one in 10 fathers are at risk of dying,” Davis said. “Is this a public health crisis? Why aren't we hearing about it as a public health crisis?”
Davis has been dealing with perinatal issues ever since she experienced postpartum depression after the birth of one of her children. Ms Davis, who began practicing as a psychotherapist in 1987, became involved in perinatal mental health in 1994 after recovering from her postpartum depression and anxiety. She shared some of her own experiences and anecdotes from her travels in her April 2 talk.
“It was four weeks after I gave birth. I couldn't stop crying, I couldn't stop shaking, I was so anxious,” Davis said. “This was supposed to be the happiest time of my life, but I couldn't feel any love for this beautiful creature and didn't know what was wrong.”
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect 14% to 23% of pregnant women and 11% to 21.9% of postpartum women, according to Davis' research. As Davis outlined above, like many other mental health disorders, these issues come with stigma. Stigma acts as a barrier and can prevent women from seeking treatment or even seeking help.
“The common belief among people suffering from postpartum depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and mental illness is that this beautiful creature would be better off with their partner, mother, sister, or best friend. '' Davis explained.
Davis is now one of the nation's leading experts on this issue, and throughout the remainder of his hour-long lecture, he will discuss the importance of understanding perinatal mental health disorders and their impact on mothers, infants, and families. It provided a broader context for sexuality. She founded Oregon's first perinatal mental health support organization in 1994, and in 1997 she became Postpartum Support International's Coordinator, and in 2009 she was hired as its executive director. Ta.
“If you don't remember anything else about today, remember these four points: One, this isn't just postpartum. Rates of depression and anxiety during pregnancy are just as high. Second, it's not just depression. It's anxiety, OCD, post-traumatic stress, manic depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis.
“3. It's not just moms. It's dads too. The American Academy of Pediatrics was the first to do this study. One in 10 dads actually suffers from major clinical depression after giving birth. “So if this happens to future fathers, please remember this: This is normal and common,'' Davis says, adding, “4 The second point is that all perinatal mental health disorders are temporary and even the most severe symptoms are treatable.”
Davis' talk, and the rest of the activities related to Public Health Day and National Public Health Week on campus, is a Population Health Instructor at SDSU and BIRTH-SD-AIM (Bridging Information and Resources for Change) ) was organized by Stephanie Hanson, director of ). Health for South Dakota Parents – Needs Assessment and Implementation of the Maternal Health Safety Bundle), a project to improve perinatal health outcomes in South Dakota.
