Category Archives: Tough Feelings
Holidays Can Be Tough! Try these 3 tips!
The holidays are almost over! Holidays can be bitter sweet. Depending on your relationship with your family or your in-laws, this might be a time where you feel loved and celebrated and taken care of. There are extra hands and extra … Continue reading
Inconsistency in mom’s mood is disturbing to infants, says this study
An interesting finding about how infants experience their psychological milieu before and after birth. Catuion: It should not be understood concretely to mean that moms who are depressed should stay that way! This is certainly not the message! The … Continue reading
Posted in Depression, New Moms, PPD Screening
Tagged consistency, Curt Sandman, depressed mother, UC Irvine study
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Advice for moms who do not want to return to work right away?
Through my google alerts, I was directed to this letter published in the Star on Sat Oct 29 2011. A first-time mom wants to stay home with her 2 month-old daughter, but had made a deal with her husband that … Continue reading
Therapy at home helps new moms cope with depression
More evidence to show that counseling mothers in their homes has a huge impact on lessening symptoms of postpartum depression. Counseling Reduces Postpartum Depression At-Home Therapy Helps New Mothers Cope with Depressive Symptoms by Brenda Lane A significant number of … Continue reading
How do Postpartum Depression, Anxiety and Psychosis really feel to moms?
What do Postpartum Depression, Anxiety and Psychosis really feel like to moms? Katherine Stone from Postpartum Progress has written a number of useful posts describing the symptoms of Postpartum Depression, Anxiety and Psychosis in everyday language. Here are two of … Continue reading
Why women experience depression
7 Reasons Women Experience Depression By The National Institute of Mental Health Re-posted from this source by The Mommy Blues Published May 12, 2011 Depression affects both men and women, but more women are diagnosed every year. Here are 7 common reasons … Continue reading
2 online self-rating depression tests for depression
Here are some useful online rating scales that will help you understand depression better and also get an idea if you are clinically depressed. How much do you know about depression? “..many people still are in the dark when it … Continue reading
New research looks at how children of depressed mothers respond to threats in the environment
A recent study published this week shows that the amygdala brain structure of children of significantly depressed moms is enlarged. Conclusions are that the amygdala is highly sensitive to maternal care and perceives depression and maternal absence in the same way. Both lead to greater scanning of the environment for threats. “A larger amygdala might be the equivalent of having not one fire alarm but many go off at the slightest whiff of smoke.” Continue reading
Study looks at depression in working mothers
Here is another article about depression in moms that attempts to define the situations and lifestyles that give rise to higher levels of maternal depression. In summary the study agrees with previous studies that stay-at-home moms have higher rates of depression than working moms – provided that working moms accept there will be trade-offs in both home and work. If there expectations of “doing it all” are too high, they too will get depressed. Continue reading
A mother’s grief
Today I am sharing a very moving blogpost I came across while searching for images of mothers. This was written by a photographer, Kalamu ya Salaam, who interviewed a mom whose son had come home from Iraq with severe PTSD. Her photos are … Continue reading
Posted in Loss and Grief
Tagged Depression, iraq, mother's sadness, mothering, PTSD, sad mother
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Going Through a Crisis
Will you ever feel happy again? Published on May 27, 2011 by Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D. in Mommy Mental Health When we’re experiencing a challenging event or time in our life, it can feel absolutely devastating. In the moment, it can seem difficult to … Continue reading
Postpartum Depression Shouldn’t Make Moms Feel Ashamed
Originally Posted by Jacqueline Burt on August 6, 2011 at 6:00 AM It doesn’t surprise me that there’s still enough of astigma associated with postpartum depressionthat many moms don’t seek help. Postpartum depression is an illness, but we treat it as a character flaw, … Continue reading
Asking for Help: What Gets in the Way and Why?
It takes strength to ask for help, it is not a sign of weakness. Published on August 4, 2011 by Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW in This Isn’t What I Expected Women tend to take better care of everyone else than themselves. Most women … Continue reading
How can stay-at-home moms avoid depression?
Reposting this blog entry: http://www.momstalknetwork.com/resources/stay-at-home-mom-depression-ways-to-avoid-it/ Written on April 26th, 2007 at 8:28 pm by Kelly Depression can strike anyone at any time in their lives. When we think of depression and mothers, what comes to mind is postpartum depression. But, … Continue reading
The Anatomy of Depression
Here is some interesting information from Robert J. Hedaya, author of the book “The Antidepressant Survival Guide: The Clinically Proven Program to Enhance the Benefits and Beat the Side Effects of Your Medication” Posted by By Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., … Continue reading
Minimizing antidepressant side-effects
On the bookshelf in my consulting room is a gem of a book entitled: The Antidepressant Survival Guide: The Clinically Proven Program to Enhance the Benefits and Beat the Side Effects of Your Medication by Robert J. Hedaya The Antidepressant Survival Program … Continue reading
7 Steps To Banishing Feelings of Helplessness in Mothers
We all experience helplessness at times. YUK! And double YUK! Helplessness is one of the most painful emotions human beings can feel. Helplessness is a state of acute powerlessness that is almost unbearable. So unbearable that people will do and … Continue reading