"Tully" and her impact

Full disclosure: I haven’t seen this movie. But while it doesn't appeal to me for a few reasons, I’m highly interested in the criticism coming from within my field,* namely that this movie doesn’t draw a distinction between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis — a dangerous omission.

Postpartum psychosis occurs in less than 1% of the postpartum population, yet it is one of the most common depictions of “postpartum depression” in broadcast news, movies, and TV shows. Postpartum depression occurs in at least 1 in 7 women, and some symptoms would make it 1 in 5, but many of those women won’t seek help because what they are experiencing doesn’t look like it does on a TV or movie screen.

---

In an interview, Theron links postpartum depression with childbirth; because she adopted her children, she says her only experience is with friends who have had it after giving birth. If Theron didn't experience PPD, it certainly isn't because she didn't give birth to her children. The rate of postpartum depression in adoptive families is equal to families who gave birth.

I am all in favor of real depictions of mother -- including the honest stories of struggle and illness and racial health disparities. But the information that gets dispensed must be accurate if we really want to reach women and have the impact we desire. 

---

relevant articles: