It’s time to put maternal suicide under the microscope

Kirsten Patrick

doi:10.1503/cmaj.131248

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Maternal Suicide
Penny Christensen

Posted on: 17 September 2013

Posted on: (17 September 2013)
Page navigation anchor for Maternal Suicide
Maternal Suicide
Penny Christensen, Executive Director
Mothers commit suicide for the same reason everyone else commits suicide. They feel death is better than the life they are living and they can not see a time when life will be better for either them or their children. Many women have had traumatizing birth experiences where pain was not effectively controlled, where their privacy and dignity was disrespected, where they had no control over what was done to them, where...
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Mothers commit suicide for the same reason everyone else commits suicide. They feel death is better than the life they are living and they can not see a time when life will be better for either them or their children. Many women have had traumatizing birth experiences where pain was not effectively controlled, where their privacy and dignity was disrespected, where they had no control over what was done to them, where they were not informed of the risks they take when they plan a vaginal birth, where their right to plan a cesarean is denied and where they sustained damage from which they will never recover. They feel betrayed and angry. Their nightmares and intrusive memories of their experience cause great anguish. From my experience talking with thousands of women, I believe that the struggle, shame and humiliation of that damage, as well as the stigma placed on them 'to get over it and be thankful they have a healthy baby' is the big reason behind what is termed PPD. More specifically it should be called what it really is - post traumatic stress.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.