Dear Colleague,
A bill recently introduced in the Texas legislature may make the Lone Star State the first in the nation to have an infanticide law on the books. If the bill passes, a mother who kills her infant (up to 12 months of age) due to a pregnancy or lactation-related psychosis would receive a maximum 2 years of jail time on top of psychological treatment. In contrast to an insanity defense, a postpartum psychosis defense would enable a woman's attorney to introduce information about the process of postpartum mood disorders to a jury that may otherwise expect a permanently mentally ill individual, not a currently sane-acting woman who has gone through a transient psychosis.
Postpartum psychosis is a legal defense in nearly 30 other countries including Britain, which enacted its initial infanticide law in 1922 and thereby acknowledged infanticide as "provoked by illness and not always by criminal intent." (1938, Hansard digital library of the House of Lords) The stigma of mental illness still exists to a very large degree in the United States, but this bill and the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, if passed, could begin a sea change in the way society perceives motherhood in the postpartum period.
Medical
Updates
Barriers to service use for postpartum depression symptoms among low-income ethnic minority mothers in the United States.
Abrams LS, Dornig K, Curran L.
Qual Health Res. 2009 Apr;19(4):535-51.
This study sought to identify barriers to treatment for low-income ethnic minority mothers with recent PPD symptoms.
The Psychosocial Work Environment and Maternal Postpartum Depression.
Dagher RK, McGovern PM, Alexander BH, Dowd BE, Ukestad LK, McCaffrey DJ.
Int J Behav Med. 2009 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]
This study examined the correlates of postpartum depression at 11 weeks after childbirth, focusing on work-related stressors. Higher psychological demands, lower schedule autonomy, and lower perceived control over work and family worsened depression scores.
Mother's stress, mood and emotional involvement with the infant: 3 months before and 3 months after childbirth.
Figueiredo B, Costa R.
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2009 Mar 4. [Epub ahead of print]
This study showed that pregnant women with negative emotional involvement with the fetus are at risk of poorer emotional involvement with the infant and higher anxiety and depression at 3 months postpartum.
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In
The
News
As Economy Slips, New Mothers Cut Short Their Maternity Leave
Wall Street Journal.com, March 11, 2009
About 60% of women with young children are working, and that number is growing as job losses are increasing. With increased stress, postnatal anxiety could rise as well.
Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Passes House
Postpartum Progress, March 31, 2009
On March 30, the US House of Representatives passed the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act by a vote of 391-8. A Senate vote is still to come. Postpartum Progress has links to more information about the bill and a petition to show your support for it.
Bill would make postpartum disorder legal defense
Houston Chronicle.com, March 24, 2009
A bill introduced in the Texas legislature could make infanticide related to perinatal psychosis a defense punishable by no more than 2 years in jail. The bill would make Texas the first state with an infanticide law.
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Events
Calendar
Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium's 4th Annual Summit on Maternal Infant Health
When: April 21
Where: Dover, DE
Postpartum Depression: Risk Management
When: April 21
Where: Weehawken, NJ
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care
When: April 25-26
Where: Cupertino, CA
Med
Ed
Resources
American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association is a full-service professional organization representing the nation's Registered Nurses.
Perinatal Pro
Run by Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, Perinatal Pro is an expert resource offering news, educational and support resources, and a weekly blog for women, families, and healthcare providers.
National Alliance on Mental Illness -- New Jersey
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)/New Jersey is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families who are affected by mental illness. From this site, consumers can link to all state NAMI sites.
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