" congratulations on knowing yourself well enough to know something wasn't right. Too many women try to just "wait it out" and often times these feelings and fears don't just go away. I thank you for having the courage to speak out about ppd. "

" Thank you for speaking out, to help others confused and wondering. Your story will help many other moms in the same situation. "

" I think its great that you are helping other people who look at this as something that you can just get on with understand that is far more than that. Thanks for being brave enough to try and explain what it really going on. "

" I am doing a paper on Post Partum Depression for my BSN class and I chose this because of the terrible depression I had after 3 of my children, but especially my third child. I am very passionate about this condition as it nearly destroyed me and it took many months to overcome my fear of this happening to me again. My son is now 27 years old and I am well past my child bearing years, however, in 1979 and earlier, there was even less known about this condition. It was a frightening time in my life. I had even been hospitalized after my third child with this as I just could not get a grip over my anxiety and at times even delusions. My primary care physician had tried the older anti depressants and they were not working, things like triavil. He sent me to a Psychiatrist who scared me to death saying it sounded like I had something in my past that made me not like babies and I would need several weeks of psychotherapy at $375 a week and we could not afford this type of therapy. I thought I was doomed, I would feel like I did then forever. I even wished I had a diagnosis of heart disease or cancer rather than have "postpartum Depression" that did not seem to react to treatment. I did go to an endocrinologist who ran some lab tests and I had an extremely high prolactin level. I had been nursing my son, but had stopped when I was diagnosed with strep throat and I became really ill with it. After stopping nursing is when the depression struck. My son was 4 months old. The endocrinologist suggested if I became pregnant again I should not nurse the baby. I finally begged my primary care physician to put me on something that would make me relax for the rest of my life because I could not go on living this way. I had lost 15 pounds because I could not even put food in front of my mouth without getting sick, I could not even sit still long enough to get my attention to watch my favorite TV shows, I had thought about running onto a busy street and dying and I lived in a constant feeling of panic. I never felt like I wanted to hurt my children, I just knew I could not live like this. I prayed and prayed to no avail (or it appeared). Everyone in my family and my friends gave me advice to just get out of the house, do something, I couldn't I was in to much pain and pain over nothing! Everything was great in my life, but I was terrified. My physician decided to try hormone therapy and he gave me an injection of Theelin (estronol). Before I could leave his office I felt strange feelings inside, I actually was going in and out of happy and sad and then by morning was normal again. Oh my gosh it was a miracle. This lasted a month, as the medication lasted this long and then it returned as quickly as it disappeared. I frantically called my physician and he gave me a longer lasting injection of the same medication and the depression and anxiety went away permanently. Two months later I was pregnant again. Oh no, not another time of this depression, I was frightened again. Two things happened after the birth of my 4th and final child. I chose not to nurse him for one and this did wonders for me. But another thing happened in the hospital and I am not sure how much this had to do with me not having any depression after this birth, but a night nurse came in and I was scared and afraid this would happen again and she snapped at me a little. She firmly said, "you have a beautiful baby in the other room, some women cannot have children and yours is healthy, there is nothing to be worried or sad about." This did make me think hard and I was glad she said that to me that night. I believe whole heartedly that post partum depression is hormone related. And, if physicians would listen to the woman and realize she is not crazy and something is chemically wrong within her body this condition would not have to create havoc in the woman or with her family and friends who have to support her during this time. I do not have a mental illness of any type, am educated as a Registered Nurse. This was a time in my life I will never forget and I was lucky to have family and physician support. Not every woman has the support and no one has to go through this disabling condition. There is help. Chris Norman "