The next time someone tells you that postpartum depression is something that only women in the United States get, or something only Western women get, or something only rich women get, or something only spoiled women get, you can tell them this:
One in every three Negev Bedouin women gets postpartum depression. One in three!
Seriously.
Oh. In case you were wondering, the Negev Bedouins are a semi-nomadic Arab tribe in Israel.
Click here for more statistics on postpartum depression.
My all time favorite is that postpartum depression is something only intelligent women get. I couldn't figure out if I should debate it or simply say thanks!
A couple of women told me they'd been to a talk by some well-known doctor. The doctor claimed that women in 3rd world countries (where they do "the month in" or similar arrangement early after giving birth) did not get PPD.
S/he obviously didn't read the same research articles I did. Like you mentioned, women in all sorts of countries, in all sorts of situations do indeed get PPD. But I doubt if any of us readers are terribly surprised. –look at the ClustrMaps over on the right –>
That's just NOT true. That doctor should have read this: http://postpartumprogress.com/weblog/2009/06/…
I hate it when health pros aren't fully informed.
I didn't have PPD until I was working. Then a difficult move, no time for hobbies, no work or friends, being with my toddler 24×7 and very little adult intercation – no wonder I got PPD almost a year after my son was born. Now he's 2 and I'm trying to get out more often now. I, found some new friends and try to hang out with them every other week. It's not ideal but much better than before.