My blogging buddy, Katherine Stone, over at "Postpartum Progress" asked me to urge all Beyond Blue readers to sign the online petition for the MOTHERS Act that was put together by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
The US Senate has been hearing from so many people opposing the MOTHERS Act (mainly Scientologists and like-minded people who were telling the Senate that the MOTHERS Act is an effort to drug America's mothers) that the bill was completely stalled and in danger of not coming to a vote.
The people at DBSA have put up an online petition to get signatures from people who support the MOTHERS Act. Katherine goes into detail in her post "MOTHERS Act Losing Momentum—Online Petition Needs Your Signature" which you can get to my clicking here.
They have 11,000 signatures. Katherine and advocates want 100,000.
Says Katherine:
We need lots of signers ... people who believe in the importance of more funding for research into the cause of postpartum mood disorders, better training of healthcare providers and more awareness to reduce stigma.
Here's what you need to do:
1. Click this link and sign this petition to support passage of the MBS MOTHERS Act. It is as easy as pie. Thanks to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance for getting the petition going. All you have to do is fill out your name and address and click send, and it will be sent all the proper places. The petition is also supported by Postpartum Support International.
2. Forward the petition link to everyone you know and tell them to sign their name to it as well.
Says Katherine:
We need thousands of people to do this. Not just a few hundred. Seriously, thousands. Please get clicking. And if you have a website, or an organization of proactive women and moms, or a blog, please get your readers/members involved ASAP.
In case you're wondering, here is a list of the respected organizations that endorse the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act:
Postpartum Support International
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Children's Defense Fund
March of Dimes
American College of Nurse Midwives
Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
Mental Health America
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Women's Law Center
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
American Psychological Association
American Psychiatric Association
Postpartum Resource Center of New York
If you would like to add your organization to this list, please e-mail Katherine at this address: stonecallis@msn.com.
Thank you!!!
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Thank you for giving us this opportunity to take simple, affordable action, Therese! I've alreasdy signed and sent it on to several others I believe will also. T. Cruise et al can gp to HE** How many more instances of mothers killing children do we need to see this threat for what it really is as a nation?
I hate to think what could have had happened, had my daughter not taken Zoloft after my grandson's birth. She didn't know what was wrong with her until she spoke to her ob/gyn doctor about her feelings. The short time she was on it helped her tremendously. Now that she's pregnant again, she'll monitor her mood, and if she needs it again, she'll go for it. Then she, her busband, her son, and her family will sleep better at night.
If "society" could cure all the mental health disorders in the world, we would not have been given science and skilled practioners by God. We are His asset MANAGERS, not owners.
I didn't comment before because honestly, I thought working against postpartum depression was like baseball, apple pie and, well, motherhood. (It's a particularly salient cause here in New Jersey, where the former First Lady of the state had to be hospitalized twice with postpartum.)
But I guess not, given the first comment.
Anyway, my real concern is with EDC's comment. The Tolle book has gotten enormous play thanks to Oprah, but from what I can tell it's really no different than Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" (which Oprah also highly endorsed).
One BBer reported literally retching (and obviously, putting down the book for good) at the comments EDC describes. She had wanted to give "A New Earth" a chance, despite it seeming like "The Secret," because Byrne wasn't the author so she thought Tolle would take a different approach. Obviously not.
Patton Dodd, Beliefnet's own Christianity editor, is one of the best advocates on our behalf for how such beliefs are truly dangerous for those of us with mental illnesses.
This is another great blog.
After I had my Children in 1977, I went to lots of Dr.'s and nobody could help me with my Depression. Physical symptoms, tired all the time and just plain living in a big dark cave.
Thank God new Mother's can get help and know what they have, and get treated.
Depression kills.
Where do we sign?
Of course, I was stigmatized and still am being stigmatized.
How do we get rid of being labeled for the rest of our lives?
Can anyone related to that and give some advice?
Blessings to All....
This is a comment on the comment about extreme cases of depression. I agree there is something to be looked at more deeply here. I have struggled with bipolar depression for years and been on and off medication. I have been off medication for four years, and two years ago the Eckhart work did change my life. I have read the books and I listen to everything I can get my hands on as often as possible to keep the information flowing through my brain. Most recently, however, after the end of a five year relationship with a person I still love, I feel more deeply depressed than ever before in my life. I am completely unable to leave my apartment. I know what to do to restore my friendliness with the present moment, but I don't have the will to do it again because I was doing so well and then fell in this hole after two years. How can we get our non-functioning brains to behave in a way that will bring us relief? It's like trying to jump-start a vehicle...medication seems to be a way to get the car started.
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