Postpartum Depression Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Overcoming the Most Common Complication after Childbirth »

Joyce A. Venis, RNC is a Psychiatric Registered Nurse and the president of Depression After Delivery, Inc. With over 30 years of nursing experience, Venis is a nationally recognized figure and highly regarded for her work and clinical expertise in pregnancy, postpartum, PMS, perimenopause, and menopause. Venis is founder and director of the Princeton Area D.A.D., Inc. PPD support group. She also started the first PMS support group in New Jersey, which continues today as the Women’s Support Group at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Venis lectures extensively (at venues including Harvard and Fordham universities), has been on multiple television and radios shows, including Geraldo, Oxygen, and Lifetime, and was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in American Nursing. She has been interviewed for various publications including Newsweek, the Chicago Sun, Parenting, Parents, American Baby, and Jet. She has testified before Congress, participated in the formulation of a state resolution, and was an instrumental witness for a PPD case in New Jersey. Perhaps, most notably in this context, she is a PPD survivor. Her son, Mark, is now 35 years old and is affectionately called the “PMS/PPD Poster Child.” Her plight took her through 22 different healthcare modalities during her PPD. “There is no reason for anyone to suffer as I did…that is why I do what I do. It was meant to be.” Besides her son Mark, Ms. Venis has three stepdaughters, and four grandchildren. She lives in northern New Jersey. Suzanne McCloskey was until January 2006 an editor at Marlowe & Company, where sheacquired and edited many books on health, psychology, relationships, and parenting, including, in the Demystified series, Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified. She lives in Westchester County, NY.

Postpartum depression is the most common complication women experience after childbirth — nearly 700,000 new moms suffer from it each year. Yet this serious mood disorder, characterized by sadness, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and guilt, insomnia, and thoughts of harming the baby or oneself, continues to be widely misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed. In Postpartum Depression Demystified, renowned PPD authority Joyce Venis and Suzanne McCloskey, both PPD sufferers themselves, turn their combined experience and expertise into an insightful and supportive guide for everyone living with and seeking to understand this condition. Venis and McCloskey cover topics including:
• the nature of PPD and how it differs from other perinatal mood disorders
• how to recognize and cope with the symptoms
• how to obtain an accurate diagnosis
• key risk factors and how to minimize them
• medications and therapies
• getting the support you need from your partner, family, and friends
• how PPD can affect your relationship with your partner and your baby
• nurturing yourself through recovery

Jodith Janes - Library Journal

For too long, postpartum depression has been misunderstood, and those who suffer from it have been stigmatized, say Venis, a psychiatric registered nurse and past president of Depression After Delivery (which recently merged with Postpartum Support International), and McCloskey, former editor at Marlowe & Company. Motherhood is commonly depicted as a happy event, but many women are not prepared to deal with the emotional, physical, and psychological stress. The authors aim to help with their own stories of experiencing postpartum depression before going on to explain what the condition is, list its symptoms, discuss relevant diagnostic tests, direct readers to healthcare professionals, and address self-care, among other topics. Personal histories, questionnaires, and easy-to-follow advice and tips make this a great resource. Bold-faced terms in the text are defined in a glossary. A list of organizations, suggested readings, and web sites complete this solid complement to Shoshana Bennett and Pec Indman's Beyond the Blues: A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression. Recommended for consumer health collections.

Introduction     1
What Is Postpartum Depression?     9
Understanding PPD Symptoms     27
Risk Factors     52
How Is Postpartum Depression Diagnosed?     78
Medications and Therapies     93
Taking Care of Yourself     118
Building Your Support System     136
How PPD Affects Your Baby     151
How PPD Affects Your Relationship with Your Partner     163
When Your Loved One Has Postpartum Depression     178
Your Recovery and the Future     195
A Final Word     210
Glossary     213
Resources     218
References     231
Acknowledgments     234
Index     236