PPD is not a "mental health" crisis
I was listening to some reporting on the radio about Linsday Clancey and how this is bringing forward the conversation about maternal mental health. My friend Rachel used the word revenant which is generally defined as someone who returns (to life). That she "returned" to expose an invisible but systemic flaw so that we might root out the problem.
In the radio piece the expert said that this highlights the fact that there is nothing specific in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) specific to women's health and for the first time, I heard someone in the mainstream media say that women's biology matters here! That the biology of pregnancy and postpartum are important to their mental health experiences! Yes! Yes! Yes!
And, I am also adamant that "mental health" is not the actual issue. If providers are using the DSM to diagnosis postpartum anxiety, depression or psychosis by only asking questions about a person's thoughts and feelings, they are missing like 90% of the picture.
The (maternal) mental health crisis is not actually about mental health.
It is the tip of the iceberg which is the structural demand that women hold everything, with nothing to support them. Maternal mental health is directly tied to the support (or lack thereof) from the community. Physical support. The kind that nourishes her body, first and foremost, in the days and weeks after birth. Support that allows a mother to rest. Support that says, breastfeeding is a learned skill and there is a friend, sister, auntie or grandmother who will help her figure it out. Support that allows her mush brain to attune and rewire itself to other healthy and regulated nervous systems, so that she can be the same for her children. Or support that sees a mother with 3 young children and understands in her bones the weight that she is carrying.
How many breaking points did Lindsay have to override? How many times did she feel like it was all too much, but there was no one to help with the weight of her task? How many generations learned that we don't ask for help, we suffer in silence?
Yes, the changes in pregnancy, birth and postpartum most definitely alter brain chemistry. And some women are predisposed to depression or anxiety. Was the weight of motherhood, without support, on top of a vulnerable brain what triggered the psychotic episode?
To be clear, I haven't followed this case too closely, so I don't know all the details. But it is not hard for me to make these assumptions based on my own experience of motherhood.
Our biology requires long-term, communal support in order to return from the underworld of the postpartum window. When we override the biological needs of postpartum recovery, a mental crevasse is just waiting to swallow a mother.
With support, she can return safely with jewels of wisdom to illuminate our the path forward.
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There is a card in the Feminine Mysteries Oracle deck called Matrescence.(Transition into Motherhood)
Keywords: Transition · Identity · Masking
We are looking for more models to be part of our deck. If this email resonates, or if the word/concept matrescence feels prescient, reply to this email or fill out our model response form below. We are looking for more BIPOC women. And if its not this card, maybe another card will speak to you. Let us know!
