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MAY 12 SET FOR LAUNCH OF PPD AWARENESS/SCREENING CAMPAIGN
Family Mental Health Institute and Mrs. United States Edrienne Carpenter
to hold Capitol Hill briefing and afternoon tea to raise awareness
of postpartum depression and promote universal depression screening
for pregnant women and new mothers.
WASHINGTON, DC (May 8, 2006)-As part of its campaign to
alleviate the suffering from postpartum depression, the Family Mental
Health Institute (FMHI) will kick off a PPD Screening and
Awareness Campaign this Friday (May 12) with a congressional
and press briefing and luncheon on Capitol Hill featuring former
Mrs. United States Edrienne Carpenter and a panel of PPD experts.
The event-"Get Screen, Get Treated, Get Well"-is slated
for Friday, May 12, in Room B-339 of the Rayburn House Office Building,
from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America (PhRMA) is co-sponsoring the event.
Scheduled to speak along with Mrs. Carpenter at the Capitol Hill
briefing are:
- Cheryl Hall, president, FMHI
- Dr. Ralph Wittenberg, medical director, FMHI
- Sharon Brigner, R.N., senior director of medical policy, PhRMA.
Following the luncheon under the patronage of Dr. Barbara Hatcher,
Director of Global Education of the American Public Health Association
(APHA) the FMHI and Mrs. Carpenter will host a Tea for members of
Congress and their spouses. Invited guests will include public health
and hospital officials, doctors, academics and others engaged in
the battle against PPD. The press is also welcome. Itês slated for
3 p.m. at the American Public Health Association building, 800 I
Street NW.
At the Tea, FMHI will demonstrate its revamped Web site (www.ppdhope.org) that
women may use to screen themselves for PPD, get information about
it and seek treatment.
Dr. Barbara Hatcher, director of education and global public health
of the American Public Health Association, is honorary chair of
the event.
The FMHI's principal goal is to make PPD screening a national standard
of care for all pregnant women and new mothers. In addition to the
Web site, FMHI maintains a 24-hour-a-day warm line (1-877-PPD-HOPE)™ for women in need of help. If they wish, they can request a PPD
MOM™ to call them back.
"Postpartum depression is the single most common serious complication
of pregnancy," says Dr. Ralph Wittenberg, medical director
of the FMHI and a recognized PPD expert. "Eight hundred thousand
women in the U.S. are devastated by perinatal psychiatric illness
every year. Yet, it goes mostly undiagnosed and untreated and, if
left untreated, the consequences can be severe for the mothers,
their babies and their families."
"PPD is not the baby blues," says FMHI President Cheryl
Hall, who has suffered from the illness. "PPD has been the
best kept secret of women's health care."
The combination of almost no PPD education for primary healthcare
providers and the intense publicity given the rare episodes of psychotic
infanticide, place an enormous stigma on mothers suffering from
any form of PPD. These vulnerable women are terrified of coming
forward and self-identifying for fear of being hospitalized, having
their babies taken away or being labeled "crazy". Women
such as Edrienne Carpenter who speak so frankly about the utter
despair and desperation of this illness are helping to bring PPD
into the light. As did Mary Jo Codey, wife of the past Governor
of New Jersey. "What's frustrating is that treatment, usually
involving a combination of anti-depressants and talk therapy, is
effective in over 90% of cases," says Hall. "But we need
to identify the sufferers first."
About the Family Mental Health Institute
The Family Mental Health Institute is dedicated to helping the estimated
800,000 women in the U.S. who suffer from perinatal psychiatric
disosrders (PPD) each year before or after giving birth. It does
this by increasing public awareness of PPD, by striving to make
universal depression screening for all pregnant and new mothers
a national standard of care, and by conducting professional education
and research. The Institute wants every pregnant woman and new mother
to know that PPD is a serious threat to them and their families
and to know what symptoms to look for and how to go about getting
help. The institute's outreach programs include a toll-free number-877-PPD-HOPE
(773-4673)™ and a web site, the
PPD Hope Information Center (www.ppdhope.org).
About Edrienne Carpenter
Mrs. Edrienne Carpenter, Mrs. United States 2004-05, just received
her master's degree in business administration from Texas A&M
University. She is the mother of two boys, age 5 and 3. She suffered
severe postpartum depression with both children. She has decided
to use her Mrs. United States celebrity status to help spread the
word about PPD, which almost destroyed her marriage. She has told
her touching story in many venues, including the Dr. Phil show.
About PhRMA
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology
companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients
to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies
are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone
invested an estimated $39.4 billion in 2005 in discovering and developing
new medicines. Industry wide research and investment reached a record
$51.3 billion in 2005.
Contacts:
Cheryl Hall, president, Family Mental Health Institute
540-222-2622
c.a.hall@mac.com
Harry Jessell, director, Family Mental Health Institute
973-701-1067
hajessell@optonline.net
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