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Motherhood is STILL Not a Medical Disorder: Response to Critics

By On July 15, 2009 · 48 Comments

After I wrote this post yesterday called “Motherhood is Not a Medical Disorder” about the Mother’s Act, which advocates for widespread screening of moms for post-partum depression (PPD), something I don’t think is a good idea because it medicalizes a normal stage of life, increases the chances that people will be but on antidepressant medications that they may not need and that may have side effects, and represents yet another intrusion into privacy, I got this response from John Grohol at psychcentral (“False Claims by Bremner”).

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Motherhood is Not a Medical Disorder

By On July 13, 2009 · 54 Comments

This recent article in Time Magazine discusses the Mother’s Act, legislation initiated in response to the story of Melanie Blocker-Stokes, who leaped to her death from her hotel room in Chicago three months after the birth of her daughter. Officially known as the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Post Partum Depression Research and Care Act, but referred to as the Mother’s Act, this legislation would require screening of all women post-partum for depression.

The problem with this is the attitude that being a mother is a risk factor for a psychiatric disorder.

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