AOL News Story Calls Postpartum Depression A "Crock"

You are absolutely right PPD was never brought forth as an issue in the Smith case. My frustration is with the news media in South Carolina...they feel the need to draw comparison between the Smith case and Duley's case. Smith has popped up in our news quite a bit since her conviction in 1996. Her prison pen pal account having to be closed because of the tremendous response and then her sexual acts with a guard which caused her transfer to another prison within our state.

My heart goes out to the family especially tomorrow as they bury these two innocent boys.

As far as I'm aware, PPD was not part of the Susan Smith case.

If Duley has bipolar disorder, that is a major risk factor for postpartum psychosis.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

Very interesting. I never thought of that. Thanks for that perspective.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

When I've been quoted as an expert in my field, reporters have checked my credentials and only quoted me in areas where I have the expertise to make statements.

The original quote from Pat Brown should never have been used--it was about the nature of postpartum depression and, yes, it did impugn it as a diagnosis. If someone is a criminologist, quote them only as a criminologist, not in a place where you need a psychologist.

If you read the post at Pretty Babies, you will see that Pat Brown again clarifies that she "doesn't buy" the idea of postpartum depression (or any depression) as a chemical imbalance or even a diagnosis.

http://prettybabies.blogspot.com/2010/08/open-lett...

This is akin to picking a name out of a phone book and asking the person to provide an expert quote for your article.

It reminds me of how every story that contains an abduction of a baby hints (or says outright) that the perpetrator is infertile and probably suffering from baby lust long before any medical information comes to light.

Melissa writes Stirrup Queens ( http://stirrup-queens.com ) and Lost and Found ( http://lostandfoundandconnectionsabound.blogspot.c... ). Her book is Navigating the Land of If ( http://thelandofif.blogspot.com/ ).

Just today local news out of Columbia, South Carolina has reported that Duley may suffer from bi-polar disorder. Our local news has not made any indication that PPD is suspect in the case. Until the police are able to sort through all of the details I think that it is a wee bit early to point the finger at PPD. Our local news has also made glaring comparisons between this case and that of another South Carolina mother who murdered her children,Susan Smith. Once again Susan Smith has crept into our news. They have shown home videos of her opening presents with her boys. I don't even recall PPD being in question back then. She was a mother who wanted out of her situation so she could be with her rich playboy boyfriend. Letters submitted during the trial indicated that he had no desire to be a parent. Therefore she felt the need to be childless in order to continue the affair.
In my humble opinion, there is no comparison between these two cases. Duley told the truth that her children were in the car while Smith led police and community members on a week long wild goose chase for the man who abducted her children.

Thank YOU Jenna.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

Thank you for continuing to fight this fight, even here.

Jenna Hatfield (@FireMom ( http://twitter.com/FireMom )), from Stop, Drop and Blog ( http://stopdropandblog.com ) and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land ( http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com ), is a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Actually Ms. Brown wouldn't be correct. Women with PPD don't commit infanticide. Women with postpartum psychosis (different illness) sometimes do because they are compelled by delusions and hallucinations. There are also people who kill their children for reasons having nothing to do with PPD or PPP.

I realize that the topic is going to come up every time there is a story when a woman kills a baby or young child. Though it hurts me every time it happens, I realize that someone is always going to ask whether PPD or PPP played a part. I'm trying to come to terms with that. I don't think I have to come to terms, though, with a discussion like that being played out in an irresponsible, non-factual way.

From the official record, from www.postpartum.net: ( http://www.postpartum.net: )

When the subject of “postpartum depression” (PPD) comes up in the news, it is often accompanied by misinformation and erroneously linked to mothers who commit infanticide, abuse or neglect their children. There is NO direct correlation between infanticide, abuse or neglect and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders ...

If a mom has a major Postpartum Depression with no psychotic features, she does not have delusional thinking, although she might have distorted negative views of herself or her life due to her depression. Rather than being at risk of hurting others, a severely depressed or anxious mom without proper support and information can be at risk of suicide because she does not realize that she will recover. She is likely to fear that she is not a good mother, and myths and mistaken descriptions of postpartum depression add to her fear and resulting risk.

There is a difference between psychosis, where there is a real break from reality, and depression or anxiety, in which the woman is in distress but in touch with reality. An informed medical professional can and should assess whether a woman is depressed, anxious, or psychotic.

Specific information on Postpartum Psychosis

Postpartum psychosis always includes delusions, disordered thinking, and sometimes includes auditory or visual hallucinations. In her psychotic state, the delusions and beliefs make sense to her; they feel very meaningful and are often religious. As opposed to non-psychotic religious states, women often mix spiritual beliefs with paranoia and a very personal identification with the divine. Before any psychosis is evident, there are often fluctuating states of mania, depression, and significant detachment. The first symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis might start within the first 3 or 4 months postpartum, but most often symptoms start within the first month.

It is also important to know that many survivors of postpartum psychosis never had delusions containing violent commands. Delusions take many forms, and not all of them are destructive. Most women who experience postpartum psychosis do not harm themselves or anyone else. However, there is always the risk of danger because psychosis includes delusional thinking and irrational judgment, and women must be treated and carefully monitored by a trained healthcare professional.

Women who have committed a crime during a postpartum psychotic episode are entitled to mental health treatment, due process and a fair trial, even when their crimes are horrible to imagine. A fair trial must include reliable expert testimony about postpartum psychosis and the woman’s diagnosis during the time of the crime.

It must be understood that a woman in a postpartum psychosis might understand the concept of right and wrong according to the law of the land, but at the same time might be hearing commands that she fully believes to arise from a higher and more powerful authority. These delusions are extremely powerful and she may feel compelled to follow instructions as if everything depended on her actions.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

That is RIDICULOUS!!!! I was lucky and never really had PPD. Except the day that was the 10th anniversary of Princess Di's death when I was about a week and a half post-partum and they mentioned it on the news and I started bawling as if it had just happened and she was my best friend. And while I was crying, I was thinking in my head, "You're an idiot! Why are crying about this?" But I couldn't help myself. I was LUCKY. I have so many friends who have had it but were too ashamed to talk about it or seek help. They just suffered in silence. What a moron. And it's fine for AOL to run a controversial piece, but they should certainly have something that counterpoints it.

Jennifer Barr is a working mom of two beautiful girls under the age of three which means she's sleep deprived but constantly kept on her toes! Most of those experiences are chronicled on her blog, ( http://midwestmomments.blogspot.com/ )

Right now it's a crime story, which is why they consulted a criminologist. It's not a PPD story; she hasn't been diagnosed. (And if she is, I and many others will be skeptical about whether it's a defense tactic, whether a doctor was influenced to give that diagnosis.) While what Pat Brown says is speculation, she may very well end up correct about why Shaquan Duley did what she did.

Speculation is dangerous for this very reason. But no one's deliberately smearing the millions of women who have experienced PPD.

Besides, Pat Brown did not impugn PPD as a legitimate diagnosis, only those who may or may not have it who choose to blame their actions on it. And if that indeed turns out to be the case with Ms. Duley (and I'm sure a criminologist such as Brown has seen cases like this), then it was appropriate for the story. However, only time will tell, so I applaud the editors for removing her comments.

This happened thanks to all the awesome people on Twitter (and to BlogHer) who had been tweeting for the previous hour and a half about how outrageous it was. God love social media.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

I'm sorry, but the story called it a crock. The story that AOL News was responsible for fact checking and editing. The story that AOL news created where they could have picked any NUMBER of people to comment but they chose to publish the comment of ONE person, the completely uninformed Pat Brown. They are responsible for having spread this ignorance onto the internet where millions of people could read it. If not for AOL, we wouldn't have ever had to see such drivel, nor defend against it. This is AOL's fault.

Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress ( http://www.postpartumprogress.com ) @postpartumprogr

AOL did not call PPD a crock, nor did David Lohr. And Shaquan Duley didn't have a diagnosis of PPD at the time of her children's killings. It's not currently clear if she has PPD.

Letting a criminologist comment about medical science can be problematic, which probably explains the added editor's note:

Editors' Note: This story was revised to remove opinions from a criminal profiler about post-partum depression. We'll be updating the story with more background and context on this tragic story later today.

When I clicked on the article this morning, this note from the Editor was appended:

Editors' Note: This story was revised to remove opinions from a criminal profiler about post-partum depression. We'll be updating the story with more background and context on this tragic story later today.

I just finished writing Pat Brown an Open Letter, which can be read at

http://prettybabies.blogspot.com/2010/08/open-lett...

And she can be reached at patbrown@patbrownprofiling.com if you would like to do the same!! Let's flood this woman with e-mails from real mothers who have experienced PPD!

 http://prettybabies.blogspot.com