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    yellow birdKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 2:57pm

    So how does one know if they are suffering from PPD? I'm asking for a friend.

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      Jan74yellow bird
      10/04/13 3:05pm

      Same as regular symptoms of depression, but after birth. Inability to cope with life, irritability, maybe lack of attention to personal hygiene, persistent sadness, suicidal ideation, etc.

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      nylonknotyellow bird
      10/04/13 3:14pm

      I had totally gruesome thoughts. Like I would be driving with my child and think, "I need to make a plan for what to do when the car catches on fire at a red light". Then I would seriously make a plan. And notice I said "when", not "if" because I was totally convinced that at any moment something horrific was going to us. These kinds of thoughts plagued me until I had the guts to tell my doctor.
      I also had trouble getting out of bed & dressed everyday, making decisions and thinking things through.
      And mine lasted about a year. It was pretty horrible.

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    TheBlinkyKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 2:55pm

    This is so terrible! It doesn't sound like she was really a danger to anyone but herself, was she armed? Surely they didnt have to shoot to kill?

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      yvanehtniojTheBlinky
      10/04/13 2:59pm

      She rammed the gate at the White House, fled the cops past two barricades, and was headed toward the Capitol. I think that if you're the Metro Police, at that point you have to assume the worst (suicide bomber or similar).

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      CrimeSceneShoeTheBlinky
      10/04/13 3:00pm

      You always aim for center mass. Always. Shooting in the limbs only works in film.

      Plus she did run over a cop.

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    cmjmKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 2:59pm

    Investigators found two medications in her apartment: one for schizophrenia and symptoms of bipolar disorder; the other an antidepressant.

    I'm no medical professional, but I didn't think PPD was treated with meds for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Not sure why the media has instead chosen to latch on to the PPD if she was being treated for schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder. That's one helluva drug cocktail she had.

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      Missy Pantscmjm
      10/04/13 3:02pm

      I read elsewhere that she was also suffering from traumatic brain injury?

      So, schizophrenia/bi-polar + brain injury + PPD.

      Yeah, that's a tragedy waiting to happen.

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      cdubs24cmjm
      10/04/13 3:02pm

      Because mother = good parent in the media's eye. Anything that deviates from that trope is a tragedy that overshadows anything else. Were the victim a father, you can be sure the focus would be on the schizophrenia and bipolar treatments.

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    BrassyBibliophileKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 3:06pm

    The country needs to discuss mental illness in a way that brings awareness and decreases stigma for those who suffer from it. There has to be a way to help those in need without stigmatizing them for getting help. I think that is an issue that isn't discussed. If you get help for a mental illness, people* sometimes see that as weak. "Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and stop being lazy." However, if you do go and seek help, people tend to say "Oh, you see a therapist? Oh, you see a psychiatrist? Are you crazy?" I've struggled with mental illness for 15 plus years now and I'm finally feeling better and more like myself. However, I cannot tell you HOW many times I've been talked to in the above manner. We, as a country, need to treat mental illness just like any other illness is treated. Taking that initial stigma away could save lives.

    *Speaking in generalizations. I know most people don't speak that way, but I've run into too many that do.

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      ThriceBroadIIIBrassyBibliophile
      10/04/13 3:48pm

      Our society wants to deny the existence of any sort of mental illness for many reasons, one of the greatest is that treatment costs money, making sure people find the right meds(not always easy) and take them costs money and real counseling and therapy really costs money. So much easier to pretend we're all okey-dokey all the time.

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      fbaThriceBroadIII
      10/04/13 7:19pm

      This. Treatment is expensive. Insanely expensive. And as someone who has suffered from depression and anxiety for over 25 years, I can tell you that most insurance companies have found ways to lower the coverage that people have for mental health treatment. For over a decade, I have had to pay the full cost of my doctor visits out of pocket. The price of medication is obscene as well, and insurance companies cover less of it every year.

      I am lucky enough to have a high paying job, I don't know how people making an income even at the national average afford to get help. And that makes me sick.

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    ghanediKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 3:59pm

    I'm almost wondering if one of those drugs isn't Seroquel. I remember being prescribed that by our family doctor because I was having issues sleeping during my freshman year of college. After I Googled (which was the new and awesome thing to do) I remember sobbing to my roommate that I was taking a pill for Schizophrenics and what if I was actually ill like my Uncle. Now that I think about it, after I had taken Seroquel for a while I had issues waking up so my doctor prescribed Welbutrin (an anti-depressant) to wake me up in the morning. I still don't really understand his logic but only lasted about three months with that regimen.

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      Vintagehorsesdrinkteaghanedi
      10/04/13 4:34pm

      According to this article the meds were risperidone and escitalopram. And if it makes you feel any better, at the psychiatric hospital where I work we prescribe seroquel much more often for sleep and anxiety than psychotic symptoms.

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      Philosophy Catghanedi
      10/04/13 9:51pm

      Seroquel is prescribed as a sleep aid when at low dosages. For those with schizophrenia it is at a much higher dosage to be effective as an anti-psychotic. Docs. like it for sleep as it is non-addictive.

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    CrimeSceneShoeKatie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 2:58pm

    "Did the cops really have to shoot Carey?"

    Unfortunately yes. I probably would have done the same. Look at it through their perspective. It was a prolonged violent attempt to breach security in the nation's capitol during a time with high political tensions and hostility. People were already injured during the attack. Terrorist? Mad bomber? Person with mental illness? Diversion? No time to psychoanalyze or muse over what's wrong with society; there's only time to act. No surprises here.

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      theboogiecatCrimeSceneShoe
      10/04/13 3:41pm

      I totally agree, and my defense attorney experience makes me skeptical when I evaluate police violence.

      She was a danger to the public, she was not responding to non-violent efforts to bring her in, and they had every reason to believe that if they didn't stop her, people would die.

      I don't expect police to be perfect, I expect them to act as reasonably as they can under the circumstances. This was reasonable.

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    gigglewaters07Katie J.M. Baker
    10/04/13 3:16pm

    Yes yes yes to your last statement in this article. The moment I heard PPD associated with this incident I cringed because I could anticipate the media disinformation shitstorm that was about to follow. PPD and postpartum psychosis are scary, defeating, incredibly difficult disorders to deal with and admit to. Moms need to feel as safe and supported as possible to share issues they may be dealing with after birth of a child and find a path to services, and coverage like this absolutely sends the message that you are nothing more than a ticking time bomb if your dealing with PPD/PPP. Who would want to admit to that? Who would want to reach out for help when they think their Dr's and loved ones will believe them to be a potentially dangerous person?

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      FormerIndigoKatie J.M. Baker
      10/04/13 3:13pm

      Sounds like she was on what I'm on for Schizoaffective Disorder. I feel fortunate that the people I associate with have been so kind when I tell them what's up (except maybe my sister who has been in major denial for years). All this stuff happening does not make those of us with mental illness look good.

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        philoslippersKatie J.M. Baker
        10/04/13 2:54pm

        Sorry, maybe I missed something really obvious but I haven't seen anything that said either way....

        Was the toddler in he carseat okay?

        *Please say yes*

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          KEWLBEAAANSphiloslippers
          10/04/13 2:55pm

          Reports have said that her child is OK.

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          wasabi75philoslippers
          10/04/13 3:03pm

          Yes the baby was unharmed.

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        wasabi75Katie J.M. Baker
        10/04/13 3:24pm

        For what it's worth and obviously it's still developing but USA Today is now reporting that her family says her state had been devolving over the last 10 months and are describing things that fit with schizophrenia namely that she thought Obama was stalking her.

        Investigators have been interviewing Carey's family about her mental condition, which had been deteriorating over the past 10 months, the official said.

        The woman had made delusional "expressions about the president in the past" and "believed there was some communications to her," and concerns about her mental health were reported in the last year to Stamford police, the official said.

        NBC4 News, quoting law enforcement authorities, also reported that there were indications that Carey thought Obama was stalking her.

        http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat…

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          Vintagehorsesdrinkteawasabi75
          10/04/13 4:35pm

          Depression and bipolar disorder can also have psychotic features such as hallucinations and delusions.

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          FieryAntidotewasabi75
          10/04/13 4:41pm

          So sad. I'm guessing that her family did not have the money or the resources to get her the help she needed. Anyone who has had a mentally ill adult in their lives knows this struggle. We desperately need to reform the way we deal with people who are suffering from mental illness. Too often they end up in jail or dead. I am so sorry for her child.

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