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How does tonight Coronation Street help mums with postnatal depression?

41 replies

notsofarnow · 28/05/2007 21:10

Can't find a thread about this already so if there is one apologies.

How do you feel about the fact that Claire has been arested on the basis that she was sectioned due to Post natal depression.

When they first showed the fire last week the first thought I had was I bet they'll use her post natal depression against her.

Lots of women already suffer in silence because their afraid of the come back it could have so has tonight helped or hindered?

Probably not put it very well but there we go.

OP posts:
NikkiBFG · 28/05/2007 21:12

I don't agree with it, but lets face it, if something like that did happen in real life, the police probably would use it against a woman with a history of PND....very sad and wrong, but......

I was actually too scared to go to Dr's in the beginning as I was frightened they would take DS away from me!

mistressmiggins · 28/05/2007 21:14

I agree - it seems wrong/sad
Interesting that the script makes Ashley doubt her
she has apparantely not been taking her tablets

as a mother who suffered from PND, it does make you think that its better to suffer in silence for risk of SS accusing you later

lulumama · 28/05/2007 21:14

i think that maybe the programme makers are confused with puperual psychosis...an extreme and rare form of PND, that can cause a woman to harm her baby

i think Nikki has said what a lot of women fear.. their baby being taken away from them if they admit to PND

certainly reading threads here, it that fear puts many women off seeking help for a long time

fransmom · 28/05/2007 21:17

i understand the dilemma of not seeking help........

i too thought i can't admit to how i feel, i should be able to cope, i also thought that if i tell that i can't cope (even now, i find it hard to admit to those first feelings {and not always first}) i thought "they" would take dd away from me

Original poster
notsofarnow · 28/05/2007 21:19

I didn't even go the gp with my first baby because I thought that people would think that I was usesless and it would be used against me and yes I suppose that dd would be taken away. I couldn't cope with anyone else knowing.

Even now when I end up back on ad's it takes me an eternity to go to gp because I feel a complete failure and think that sometime in the future it will be used against me - not sure how but job opportunites, mortgages, life insurance.

Just think that programme makers could give a postive slant on pnd instead of using it against her.

OP posts:
TinyGang · 28/05/2007 21:20

Blimey - this is exactly what I just said to dh about Coronation Street! I know it's not real, but it stigmatises pnd.

And her credibility as a witness in Tracey's court case was skeptcally received because of it too.

NikkiBFG · 28/05/2007 21:21

Yes, I think its important to distinguish between the much rarer form of PND which can sadly lead to harm of the child and the more common form...they don't seem to be doing that...no matter how crap I felt and how detached I felt from DS during those awful days, he never wanted for anything - his care was parmamount to me, iyswim?

WK007 · 28/05/2007 21:22

Think it could be very worrying to anyone with PND - makes you think police will think you're mad and dangerous. Had PND myself and, when I left ex-h, felt incredibly forced to pretend to be 'happy and normal' in case anything was said about me not being a fit mum (was actually a perfectly normal mum but ex-h would try any mind games and I was petrified he would have dd taken off me). Ok its a slightly different situation but at the time this story would have scared me to death and made me think PND really was something to be scared of and hide away in case anyone thought I was a terrible mother.

This isn't going to make anyone with PND want to admit it, which is surely a very harmful thing.

Think a far better storyline could have been if the police got a doctor in for a psych opinion and the doctor had instantly told the police, metaphorically, where to stick it, reassuring anyone with PND.

TinyGang · 28/05/2007 21:24

So can the police just go and ask your doctor if you are depressed if they suspect you of something?

No confidentiality?

divastrop · 28/05/2007 21:24

i was fuming watching it tonight.i wish they would refer to her illness as what it was(ie what lulumama said,i cant spell it)rather than PND,as its going to put women off seeking help if they are suffering.

after all,its very unlikely a woman suffering from normal PND would be sectioned and have to stay in hospital,the majority of cases can be managed with ad's and/or a talking therapy,and some practical support.

i think the scriptwriters should have done more research and got their facts straight.

grrrr

kittypants · 28/05/2007 21:25

i turned over.felt crap when had pnd,felt i was crap mother ,so dont need to see that.

mistressmiggins · 28/05/2007 21:26

I have to say I am still on ADS and it made me concerned when the police said that theyd checked with Claire's dr & he/she said she was not taking her meds.

what happened to dr confidentiality?

mistressmiggins · 28/05/2007 21:27

kittypants - DONT EVER think you were/are crap mother - PND is real & NOT your fault

divastrop · 28/05/2007 21:34

i am on ad's as well,for PND.what ad's could claire be on for PND that would control her behaviour so much she would be a danger to her child if she stopped taking them>surely that would only happen with anti-psychotics?
i know the only effects of coming off ad's too early i experienced were weepiness and feeling down again.

surely the coppers wouldnt be able to get access to your medical records unless you'd already been arrested?they havent got any forensic evidence,there are no witnessess,and they have arrested her soley on the basis of having had PND.

great.isnt that just going to encourage depressed mothers everywhere to run to their gp's for help?!?

Original poster
notsofarnow · 28/05/2007 21:35

See the way its made kittykat feel is exactly what i mean. Tonight has made me feel so cross.

What can we do about it? It's not often i get ate up about much but this has really riled me.

Hi mistressmiggins was previousy longwaytogo.

OP posts:
kittypants · 28/05/2007 21:51

mistressmiggins.i dont feel like that anymore but if id watched that at time i would have felt worse..i had pnd with dd and ds1 but fought it and won with ds2!

FioFio · 29/05/2007 15:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

twinsetandpearls · 29/05/2007 15:24

I felt personlly stigmatised, judged and got at least night and I have not felt like that for years.

I am on cloud nine at the moment as I have just got a big promotion at work depite my head knowing my full medical history and thought at last people are seeing me as me and not judging me soley on my menta health. I only watched the last few minutes so I may be wrong and overreacting but this shattered my confidence and faith in human nature straight away.

FrannyandZooey · 29/05/2007 15:31

Are soap operas intended to help people and educate them then? I thought they were produced for entertainment and to sell products during the commercials.

I don't agree that it is right to stigmatise or distort mental illnesses but expecting programme makers to make educational and helpful tv when they are driven by money is a bit naive I am afrain

FrannyandZooey · 29/05/2007 15:33

TSAP I bet any sensible person is not judging you at all

the way something like this is portrayed in a soap is just bollocks, not something normal people would look to for information

TootyFrooty · 29/05/2007 15:34

The whole story line is wrong from start to finish. I was spitting feathers about this last night. It makes me so angry.

Like it or not, soaps have a responsibility for their story lines and they've handled this so badly.

I hate the way they make out that women with pnd (whether with psychosis or not) want to harm their babies. Surely that will discourage women who think they have pnd from seeing a gp? Similarly if you think you have mild pnd (as I did) then will you worry that you'll become psychotic?

Are they saying that a woman who has had severe pnd or who has been sectioned can't be allowed to get on with her life and move on?

We should be far more open about pnd than we are. We should be encouraging women to seek help if they are struggling - not hide it under the carpet in case they are labelled nutters.

I am boycotting Coronation Street until this ridiculous story line is over. Not that 1 person out of 10 million makes a difference.....

TootyFrooty · 29/05/2007 15:37

And interestingly they changed the story line from the baby (can't remember his name) being kidnapped and going missing for weeks because they didn't want to offend and upset the McCanns.

But it's ok to offend and upset women with pnd.

FrannyandZooey · 29/05/2007 15:37

I haven't seen the show so should not be commenting but got sucked in by the title

it sounds abysmal but I do think it rather idealistic to expect a tv soap to "help" people rather than using their suffering to create entertaining television

TootyFrooty · 29/05/2007 15:42

I wouldn't expect them to help people Franny but I would expect them not to take an issue like pnd and deal with it so insensitively and incorrectly.

cornsilk · 29/05/2007 15:43

Agree with tooty frooty. Don't watch regularly anyway, but saw end of the episode and thought it was just ridiculous. Will not be watching again.