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Postpartum depression research critique
Postpartum depression research critique
Postpartum depression research critique
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An Investigation of Postpartum Depression
Missing Works Cited
The recent Andrea Yates murder trial brought a firestorm of controversy as the issue of postpartum depression (PPD) became a debated topic throughout the country. Did Andrea truly suffer from psychosis as she drowned her five children in the bathtub or was such defense a scheme to avoid the death sentence? Prosecutors suggested the spousal-revenge theory as a motive for the killings. Could she have committed murder to get back at a possessive and domineering husband? (1).
The outcome of the trial was by no means exceptional as it was a murder case, which resulted in a life sentence conviction. It did however, create awareness within the medical field and mainstream public about the historical connection between pregnancy and psychiatric illness. Unfortunately such dialogue also brought long standing misconstrued notions which must be eradicated.
Mental illness has been a reality not only for Yates but for millions of women throughout the country. Depression tends to be one of the most prevalent consequences of childbearing as 50% of new mothers report slight bouts of depression, 10% have manic depression and .2% suffer from psychosis(2). Yonkers et. al, further investigated postpartum depression rates for minority women in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts. After conducting a postpartum three trial screening which included the Structured Clinical Interview, it was found that depression rates for Latino, Blacks and White racial groups was between 6.5% to 8.5% (3). Regardless of race, all groups of women were susceptible to similar rates of PPD at 3-5 weeks postpartum. Other studies have found that depressive disorders begin even before giving birth...
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...s the need for changes in the current "drive thru" system of childbirth. Hospital stays have been reduced as new mothers are quickly sent home without medical resources at their disposal(8).
The Andrea Yates trial was significant in that it raised awareness of mental illness under a media firestorm. It made the American public aware of the potential actions such illness can cause a person to do. Dialogue, however, is not a sufficient means in which to properly target and treat PPD. The medical establishment must ensure prevention through mental health screenings and subsequent psychiatric check-ups for new mothers. Through educational campaigns, awareness must be brought to the masses so that the stigma attached to mental illness be eradicated. Hopefully, people will seek proper treatment as there are millions suffering with depression in isolation and silence.
On June 20, 2001, a terrible tragedy occurred, as Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children in the bath. After drowning each child child, she picked them up, tucked them in her bed and called in her next victim until all 5 children were deceased. After she had successfully drowned each child, she calmly called her husband and notified local police that she was in need of an officer. As this case reached international news, many pondered what would make the mother of five do such an abysmal thing. Once the investigation began, it became acknowledged that Andrea Yates was influenced by several psychological perspectives and was not in her right mind when she committed the heinous crime.
She decided to tackle the health problems of a small area of few roads and no physicians, called Leslie County in Eastern Kentucky. Here she tested to her health care plans, thinking that if she succeed here, she could succeed anywhere. Horse backing around Leslie County, she asked residents about health care needs and local lay-midwives about birth practices. The results from her surveys revealed that these nursing mothers were lacking prenatal care and that they were giving birth to large quantities of children often by invasive practice.
Sorensen, J., & Abbott, E. (2004). The Maternity and Infancy Revolution. Maternal & Child Health Jounal, 8(3), 107-110. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14089739&site=ehost-live
“We stuck to who we were at Motown, and the world came around…” Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown records relayed at the Occidental College’s 125th commencement ceremony in 2007. Motown was “the new voice of America” due to its great impact and influence on the music industry and society. Numerous events were happening in America at that time and Berry Gordy identified several of these factors to target the music of Motown and its artists to young audiences in specific ways. There were various social, musical and cultural factors that were critically important and of these factors, Gordy identified the segregation and the civil rights movement, the music and cultural aspects of the black community at that time. These factors had huge impacts
Record labels played a big role in bringing the black struggle to the mainstream through their artists music. In particular, two labels were the frontrunners for producing records that would continue to promote addressing the black struggle: Motown and Stax. Motown, a black-owned label, was seen as a more assimilationist and industrial record label that was successful in making hits that appealed to both black and white audiences, earning it the nickname of “Hitsville, U.S.A.” Stax, a white-owned label, was seen as being more representative of black self-reliance and an overall more authentic, black record label that appealed much more to the black audience, earning it the nickname of “Soulsville, U.S.A.” Despite their differences, both labels used their own style of music production and distribution to help surface the black struggle in very similar ways, and in turn they helped pave the way for black consciousness to emerge through soul music.
Knowing the symptoms of postpartum depression is critical for a young mother's discovering that she may have the depress...
Two main arguments for needle exchange programs include that the needle exchange would help prevent the spread of disease and that they are key to fighting HIV and in turn saving lives. Since, the needle exchange programs don’t really force people to get off the substance they are abusing, a lot of users will actually choose to do the treatment programs on their own because they don’t feel pressured into doing so. Not only do the needle exchange programs supply sterile needles they also supply counseling and therapy for those that not only want some help in the guidance of getting off their substance, but mental and life assistance to help them to reestablish their lives. By doing so the previously addicted can reestablish relat...
In dealing with these issues, historians have neglected to examine the social implication of “race music” on a white audience, specifically teenagers. Historians most often explain the origins of the music as something of a legend; Afro-American music and culture is praised, and white American society is indebted to the cultural enrichment it has received from it. Afro-American music saved white society from being boring.[2] The social realities of the United States during that decade make this birth story seem hypocritical and condescending. The 1950s did not produce harmony between the black and white populations of the United States; racial tensions were enormous.
Motown was scared of losing money and was extremely protective over white fans by dressing artists so they appeal to the white fan base.
Strathdee, S.A., (2000). Trends in crime and the introduction of a needle exchange program. American Journal of Public Health, 90(12), 1933-1936. Retrieved from PsycINFO.
Birth is a normal, physiological process, in which a woman’s body naturally prepares to expel the fetus within. It has occurred since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, childbirth has gradually evolved into what it is today - a highly managed whirlwind of unwarranted interventions. Jennifer Block, a journalist with over twelve years experience, has devoted herself to raising awareness regarding the authenticity of the Americanized standard of care in obstetrics, while guiding others to discover the truth behind the medical approach to birth in this country. In her book, Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, Jennifer Block brings forth startling truths concerning this country’s management of birth.
On July 5, 1954, forty-nine days after the Supreme Court handed down the decision on the Brown vs. Board of Education case, a nineteen year old truck driver recorded an Arthur Crudup blues track called “That’s All Right Mama” (Bertrand 46). Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips found the cut and played it on his radio show a few weeks later. He received calls all over from people, mostly white, who wanted to hear more. He quickly located the musician and brought him into the studio for an interview, audiences were shocked to learn that Elvis was white (Bertrand 46). Elvis’s music brought black music into white mainstream pop culture almost overnight. The breakthrough of Elvis happening almost simultaneously with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement was no accident. As any scholar of the humanities would tell you that often times after a great war there exists a time of enlightenment, prosperity and reformation. One such cultural revival took place in this nation after the closing of the Second World War. The progressive thought of the ‘50s nurtured new ideas and cultures including the Civil Rights Movement and the fast spread of rock and roll. In an essay entitled “Color” written to Esquire magazine in 1962 the essayist James Baldwin describes the revival of white culture after WWII with the following passage:
One flaw of the insanity plea is how the victims and their families are affected. For example on March 21, 2010, Kathy Powell, the mother of 21 year old Taylor Powell, who was brutally murdered by Jarrod Wyatt outside Klamath, Oregon, said the suspect's recent insanity plea was a complete lie. Mrs. Powell said she knows little about what happened that night, but voiced frustration about the defense's efforts to suggest her son somehow instigated the fight that led to his death. Wyatt, age 26, was being charged with murder, aggravated mayhem, and torture. He pleaded a dual plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among drug users has been a long concern. When the drug users share needles that are contaminated with HIV it increase the likelihood of that person being infected with the virus. NEP dramatically reduce if not eliminate sharing of used needles and as a result that reduces HIV transmission (Tempalksi et el, 2007). This impacts the adult and elderly population due to increase drug use among people in
Schneider, M. (2002). We return fighting : the civil rights movement in the Jazz Age. Boston: Northeastern University Press