It’s sad that it sometimes takes tabloid headlines involving high-profile celebrities to bring attention to mental health issues, but I admire Marie Osmond for being willing to share her story with the world and helping to decrease the stigma of Postpartum Depression (PPD).
In 1999, just a few weeks after she gave birth to her son Matthew, Marie sat shaking in her closet, crying uncontrollably. A few minutes later, she went downstairs, gave her babysitter a few blank checks and some credit cards, and told her that she had to leave for a while. The nanny asked if she was OK. She said, “No, I’m not.” She got in her car and drove aimlessly for 200 miles. Despite her successful life as a singer, actress and mother, and her strong faith, she knew something was wrong. For the first time, she said, she understood how someone could get to the point where they would want to take their own life.
Although this book was published over 20 years ago, its content is timeless. Marie’s account of her experience with PPD hits home for so many women who have been through it (or depression in general). In this book, Marie chronicles the events and experiences from her childhood up to adulthood that, looking back, she knows increased her risk for PPD and her decision to, after months of struggling to get through each day, finally ask for help.
What I especially like about this book is that her doctor, Judith Moore, includes a special in-depth section at the end that contains a diagnostic questionnaire, a description of all of the possible causes, and options for treatment, including holistic or natural options. In Marie’s case, she had an underactive thyroid, low estrogen and progesterone, low DHEA and low magnesium, in addition to emotional factors she addressed through counseling.
This book is not a substitute for finding your own physician and coming up with your own treatment plan, but it’s a great resource to keep on hand for yourself or for the women (and men, as PPD affects them as well) in your life.
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