I am appalled.  

I heard through blogs and emails about the Private Practice episode airing on ABC last evening with some sort of postpartum mood disorder storyline.  They even consulted with PSI about doing a PSA sometime during the show.  Those of us who wholeheartedly advocate for these illnesses were thrilled that some accurate information would finally be “out there.”

Boy, were we wrong.

They failed miserably.  For details and an excellent read on the matter, I suggest you check out Katherine Stone’s post on the topic as well as Lauren Hale’s post.   I completely support Katherine’s suggestion to “pull the plug on Private Practice” and in fact, it wouldn’t bother me to take it a step further and go for all of ABC as well.  

(Then again, I do not have satellite or cable so I realize this is an easier step for me than most.  I watch my shows online.)

Admittedly, I did not watch the show, for the above reason.  Even if I could, I do not think I will.  I have gathered enough information from the summaries posted to know that it was poorly done.  In addition, I am inserting an extra step of self-protection because I tend to easily get wrapped up in dramatic moments, and watching the intensity of the some of the scenes described will probably be too much for me.  Then the resulting anger at the mishandling of the information?  Oh yea, it would put me over the edge and I would obsess for days, not to mention the memory triggers alone.  Reading the summary is enough, thankyouverymuch.

If you are a new mom, hurting and wondering how true this episode is, I highly encourage you to check out the posts I linked above and everyone know this:

1.  There are specialists out there to help you through this!  Go to Postpartum Support International and contact the coordinator in your area for a referral.  Additionally, there are a wealth of regional resources listed on the main Out of the Valley site under the “Resources” tab.

2.  Please do not be afraid!  This show is not a representation of a HUGE majority of moms who go through a PPMD.  Trust me on this.  I’ve been there, ok?  Again, see Katherine’s post (linked above) for the errors in the storyline. 

3.  Educate yourself on postpartum mood disorders.  The more you know, the less you fear.  There are several books out there about it, and I list several in the Resources section.  Do yourself a favor and educate yourself.

4.  Do not isolate yourself.  Reach out to other women who have been there.  There is a vast network of blogging mommas who have been there, a couple of community forums (online), and community support groups.  Google is your friend.  You will find out rather quickly that you are not alone and you will find encouragement to keep going.

5.  When you feel well, if you can, be a VOICE for this illness!  Do not be ashamed.  We need advocates to stop the misinformation and stigma about PPD.  There will be more new moms who will be hit with this, and we do not want them to face what those behind us had to face.  Being so open about my story creates numerous ministry opportunities.  You would not believe the number of woman who will bravely admit for the first time ever that they suffered, too, when you talk about your own story.  It’s happened to me on more than one occassion.  You can start being a voice, even now, by taking a stand against how the producers, writers, or whoever-the-powers-may-be on this show treated this illness.

Pull the plug, folks.  Take a stand.  Lift your voice.  There is no better time than now.

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