Mental
Health Association in New York State, Inc. |
Community Connections, Winter 2002/2003Hope
for Moms with Postpartum Depression (PPD) I lost my wife, Kristin Brooks Rossell, to suicide following a four-month battle with postpartum psychosis. All the things one should not do in the treatment of this deadly disease were done to Kristin. The irony is that Kristin worked for an HMO as a credentialing coordinator checking the qualifications of doctors before they were allowed to contract with the HMO to see patients. Kristin had by all accounts, decent medical insurance. But not one of the professionals in charge of her care gave her the correct and proper advice and counsel needed. The education I received after her death was the most painful period I have ever been through. I cried at seminars on PPD, each time, knowing at each turn how this information could have been used to save Kristin, myself, and our families the pain and needless suffering we experienced. What I learned was you do not give SSRI's (anti-depressants) to a bi-polar patient without mood stabilizers. In Kristin's case she spiraled up into a manic state and stayed there for weeks suffering sleep deprivation, which led to anxiety, hearing voices, thinking she was going insane. She checked into a hospital of her own free will, where upon they continued this treatment of SSRI's with no mood stabilizers. After 36 hours she hung herself in the psychiatric facility. Over 1,800 people manage to kill themselves in hospital settings each year. About 5,000 women in childbearing years complete suicide each year and over 500,000 attempt suicide seriously enough to need hospitalization. The single greatest gift we have is the gift of life and creation of that life. It is an indictment of our patriarchal society that a disease, which is found in over 400,000 new cases each year in the US alone, is not routinely screened for. "Suicide is the most preventable form of death in the US today", stated former US Surgeon General David Satcher. If this is so, and I believe it is, then surely suicide as a result of poorly treated or untreated postpartum illness is the most preventable form of suicide. I am still in therapy and have had support from family and friends in order to deal with the loss. By founding the Kristin Brooks Hope Center I have tried to make something good come out of my personal tragedy. The Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) automatically connects callers - people who are depressed or suicidal, or those concerned about someone they love-- to the nearest certified crisis center. Crisis center calls are answered by trained crisis line workers In one of our 94 networked crisis centers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. posted 1/28/03 |