Post by Veritee on Nov 2, 2008 15:55:22 GMT
There has been some new research published by Cardiff University, Birmingham University and Trinity College, Dublin, funded by medical charity the Wellcome Trust, that suggests that Postnatal illness is genetic.
You can see a media report about it here: [/url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/02/motherhood-infanticide-post-natal-depression[/url]
They are actually talking about PP - postpartum psychosis, puerperal psychosis - but as a non- expert but based on years of talking to women with PNI I strongly believe that PNI is a spectrum and that PP is the same but at the severe end of the PNI spectrum
- just my unqualified opinion but I just can not see from what I have learned over the years that PNI can be separated into three separate illnesses, the baby blues, Post Natal depression and puerperal psychosis?
Anyway, this research is very interesting and for me as it solves the problem that I have observed that PNI can strike any woman regardless of circumstances, or personality or past mental health.
As they say in the article it has been widely thought:
'It was believed that the mood disorders affecting up to 75 per cent of new mothers were caused by the women's circumstances, personality and hormonal changes.'
I have always had a problem with that as
If I challenge professionals on this I am always told that I do not know what is really going on for those women or what their true situation is, partly because I meet most on the Internet and partly because they assume that many women will not be honest to me about their true situation or their past etc!!
but I dispute this.
I truly feel that over the years I have got to know more about some women I have supported than many of even their closest family have and for a a good proportion PNI came 'out of the blue' with absolutely no reason why they should get it!!
Others do have past mental health issues or personal circumstances or poverty etc to cope with, but all say PNI is NOTHING like they have ever experienced before
Anyway this research is very interesting- I look forward to hearing more about it and seeing if they can indeed isolate the gene they feel is responsible for PNI
They also make a really good point - but one we know very well here on this forum:
and that;
Great that this is being recognized at last!!!
Veritee
You can see a media report about it here: [/url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/02/motherhood-infanticide-post-natal-depression[/url]
They are actually talking about PP - postpartum psychosis, puerperal psychosis - but as a non- expert but based on years of talking to women with PNI I strongly believe that PNI is a spectrum and that PP is the same but at the severe end of the PNI spectrum
- just my unqualified opinion but I just can not see from what I have learned over the years that PNI can be separated into three separate illnesses, the baby blues, Post Natal depression and puerperal psychosis?
Anyway, this research is very interesting and for me as it solves the problem that I have observed that PNI can strike any woman regardless of circumstances, or personality or past mental health.
As they say in the article it has been widely thought:
'It was believed that the mood disorders affecting up to 75 per cent of new mothers were caused by the women's circumstances, personality and hormonal changes.'
I have always had a problem with that as
1./ it seems to blame the woman who has PNI
2./ it takes no consideration of all those thousands of women I have talked to over the years that have no circumstances or personality difficulties etc that would, on the surface at least ,make them more likely to get PNI.
If I challenge professionals on this I am always told that I do not know what is really going on for those women or what their true situation is, partly because I meet most on the Internet and partly because they assume that many women will not be honest to me about their true situation or their past etc!!
but I dispute this.
I truly feel that over the years I have got to know more about some women I have supported than many of even their closest family have and for a a good proportion PNI came 'out of the blue' with absolutely no reason why they should get it!!
Others do have past mental health issues or personal circumstances or poverty etc to cope with, but all say PNI is NOTHING like they have ever experienced before
Anyway this research is very interesting- I look forward to hearing more about it and seeing if they can indeed isolate the gene they feel is responsible for PNI
They also make a really good point - but one we know very well here on this forum:
'It is also claimed, in a separate piece of research, that thousands more women could suffer postnatal depression than currently thought, with up to 17,250 late-onset cases a year in the UK going undetected.'
and that;
'48 per cent said that they were not diagnosed for up to a year. A further 13 per cent suffered for between a year and 18 months before their condition was identified.( this research done through netmums)
Almost 40 per cent of women said that they received no treatment, while of those who did receive help, 42 per cent said it was unsatisfactory.'
Great that this is being recognized at last!!!
Veritee
