Postpartum depression is a real problem that affects thousands of women worldwide, but fortunately it has a solution. With the adequate support and treatment, it is possible to overcome it and live a full and happy motherhood. But what happens when we ask for help and we don't feel that support we need so much?
A mother has shared the bitter experience she had while trying to ask for help from medical staff to treat her postpartum depression, since instead of supporting or listening to her, they called the police to take her away.
Jessica's case
Jessica Porten is a mother from California who gave birth to her second daughter a few months ago. Like many women, Jessica started presenting symptoms of postpartum depression, so when they finally gave him an appointment after giving birth four months later, he decided that he would ask for help.
However, things did not go as she expected. They were even much worse and something happened that she never imagined. In a post on her Facebook account, Jessica tells everything that happened and proves the lack of training for medical staff to know how to properly deal with postpartum depression.
She begins her story by telling her that the day before she had had her first obstetrics appointment after giving birth four months before. He had not come before because the doctor's office continued to cancel his appointments, which seemed inhuman to her. Finally, the day came and he went to the appointment with his daughter Kira, four months.
Originally his appointment was at 2:10 p.m., however, he was transferred to an office until an hour after waiting to be called. Then a nurse practitioner came in to see her and Jessica told her that her husband had made her appointment last week and told them by phone that she I had postpartum depression and manifested in outbursts of anger, so I wanted to talk about the treatment or medication options I had.
Jessica He clarified that he is not alone and has a strong support network at home and that even though she or her baby had never been harmed, she had violent thoughts and needed medication and therapy to overcome it. The nurse then gave her a pelvic check in a hurry, mentioned very little about the medications and left the room, telling Jessica that she would talk to the doctor about her postpartum depression. But in reality, what the nurse did was something very different: "He called the damn police"says Jessica enraged.
They sent another person from the medical staff to be with Jessica and her baby while the police arrived. An hour later, they told Jessica that they should move her and Kira to the ER. "The cops could realize that I am completely fine and that all this was nonsense, so they let me drive my own car with Kira in it to Urgency, while a policeman was in front of me and another behind"continues Jessica.
When he arrived at the emergency room, blood samples were taken and assigned a security guard to watch over. An hour later, her husband was able to arrive to accompany her and they were transferred to a room. Then they asked Jessica to take off all her clothes, to take her and store her in another place outside the room. The rest of the afternoon was spent there, without eating until a nurse brought them a couple of sandwiches.
Finally, until 10:45 p.m., more than 8 hours after Jessica had reached her medical appointment, she was attended by a social worker, who concluded that she did not need psychiatric surveillance and began to process Register it.
"In all that time, not a single doctor came to see me. Not even once. Not even before deciding to call the police"Jessica continues."I left the ER at midnight, my spirit more broken than ever, No medications, no appointment for follow-up. I never talked to a doctor. This was a terrible experience that I had to spend for 10 hours, while taking care of my baby because I had taken her with me. And that is. This is what I get by saying in my obstetrics office that I have postpartum depression and that I need help. They treated me like a criminal, and then they let me go, with nothing but a few copies with phone numbers on them".
Why did they treat Jessica like this?
Why didn't a doctor see her? Why did they call the police? Why did they keep her and her baby 10 hours at the end just say a simple: "You have nothing, you can leave"? Why didn't they give him a follow-up appointment?
In California, the state where Jessica lives, medical personnel are required to call the police if they suspect child abuse or if they believe the patient is suicidal. According to the laws, neither the medical office nor the Emergency Department staff did something wrong, because they were acting in good faith, thinking about the safety of their patients.
However, neither Jessica was mistreating her baby, nor did she have suicidal tendencies, so calling the police without a doctor checking her for a diagnosis, it was wrong. The nurse I was not able to recognize or understand these kinds of problems and reacted in a rash manner, causing more problems than relief to Jessica.
Depression, something that many mothers hide
We recently shared a study in which it was found that one in five recent hidden mothers suffering from depression or postpartum anxiety. And how not to hide it, if those who suffer from it are still judged in many places? Talk about something so personal and so dark, when we are supposed to feel the happiest people in the world, it's not easy.
Jessica's story not only reminds us that depression is something we should talk more about so that it stops being so stigmatized, but also shows the importance of all medical personnel receiving the necessary training to know how to act in these cases and provide the support and care that mothers with postpartum depression really need.
Photos | iStock
Via | Motherly
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