Post-Traumatic (Childbirth) Stress Disorder

Source:
Leeder, Jessica. “Parenting: Post-Traumatic (Childbirth) Stress Disorder.” Today’s Parent. Rogers Digital Media. 2017. 20 March 2017. 

You can read the full article HERE

Summary: 
This short online magazine article offers firsthand accounts of a little known phenomenon called postpartum PTSD. This disorder is often confused or misdiagnosed as postpartum depression, but the symptoms and treatment options differ greatly. This article offers firsthand accounts of postpartum PTSD suffers and appears to be an attempt to shed light on this currently little-known disorder. 

Quality: 
This article stands out due the candid quotations from PTSD sufferers. Statements from sufferers of the disorder such as this one, “I’d be eating next to my son and holding a fork, and I’d imagine what would happen if I lost control and stabbed him…I felt completely out of control,” bring to light the shocking feelings caused by PTSD (Leeder). While statements like, I had a constant sense of danger around me. But I had no signs of depression. I was overactive—I needed to do things,” suggest the difficulty of getting a diagnosis for this recently identified disorder (Leeder). One could probably imagine how difficult it would be to get help if one’s disorder did not fit commonly known diagnoses such as postpartum depression. 

Issues: 
This article’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. The firsthand accounts of postpartum PTSD paint a stark picture, but there is little in the way of professional opinions or scholarly data, only two articles are cited, to tell us how serious or widespread the postpartum PTSD might be or what to do about it. Firsthand accounts of PTSD sufferers and advice from social workers are used to fill in these gaps. Please consider, however, that since the disorder is still in the early stages of recognition, scholarly sources may not have been available to the author. 

Key Words and Phrases:
postpartum, postpartum PTSD, PTSD, hyper arousal, trauma, symptoms, mother, birth

Useful Quotes:
For some moms, their baby’s birth is the beginning of a dark, terrifying journey.

[A post birth trauma sufferer notes] I had a constant sense of danger around me. But I had no signs of depression. I was overactive—I needed to do things” she says…[I] came across a list of symptoms connected to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “I realized I was having almost all of them” 

[The sypotoms of PTSD] include experiencing one or several events that involve the threat of serious injury or death (to themselves or their baby) and subsequent feelings of fear, helplessness or horror. Sufferers may have flashbacks and hallucinations. Many also suffer from what psychologists call “hyper-arousal”—irritability and difficulty sleeping and concentrating. 

Shlomi-Polchek notes, “There are women who avoid subsequent childbirth or vaginal childbirth or—worse—avoid the baby because he reminds them of the trauma.”

Helen Dunn, a postpartum PTSD sufferer, notes, “I’d be eating next to my son and holding a fork, and I’d imagine what would happen if I lost control and stabbed him,” she said. “I felt completely out of control.”

…when you say ‘I was traumatized while giving birth to my child,’ there’s a lot less support.”

Kalina Christoff, a postpartum PTSD sufferer, notes, “The advice I give to women is that the most important thing for them is to get in touch with other survivors of birth trauma who are able to hear, acknowledge and understand your experiences at a visceral level, because many times your closest friends and relatives are unable to do that.”

The Mayo Clinic's Definition of Postpartum Depression

Source:
“Diseases and Conditions: Postpartum Depression.” Mayoclinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 2017. Web. 19 March 2017. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/basics/definition/con-20029130.

Summary:
The Mayo Clinic website provides very simple description of Postpartum depression. Now, some may wonder what postpartum depression has to do with the Babadook. My research has indicated that several of the symptoms that Emilia displays in the film fit the profile of postpartum depression, despite the fact that her son had been born seven years ago. The website has a plain list of symptoms and some advice for people who may be suffering from the condition.

Quality:
The Mayo Clinic is s reliable source. Their website notes that they are on the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals Honor Roll” and that Consumer Reports ranks them in the top ten safest hospitals (“About Mayo Clinic…”). Other sources also note the clinic’s quality; a Business Insider article calls the Mayo Clinic “…the best brand in medicine…” (Nisen). 

In terms of my blog, this source provides a very helpful list which could help establish a claim that Emilia is suffering from a case of postpartum depression that has gone untreated since her son’s birth due the stress of her life as a single parent. A page dedicated to these connections may be found HERE.   

Issues:
Post this site is very plain, which I must assume is by design. While it is certainly clear, it offers little in the way of firsthand accounts of postpartum depression. Some links to willing post-partum depression sufferers’ writings or videos might help put a more human face on the condition and help people determine whether they should seek treatment. Please consider this statement from model and actress Brooke Shield’s book Down Came the Rain as an example:

At first I thought what I was feeling was just exhaustion, but with it came an overriding sense of panic that I had never felt before. Rowan kept crying, and I began to dread the moment when Chris would bring her back to me. I started to experience a sick sensation in my stomach; it was as if a vise were tightening around my chest. Instead of the nervous anxiety that often accompanies panic, a feeling of devastation overcame me” 

This sort of detail gives the reader a powerful firsthand insight into what postpartum depression actually feels like. A description like this has a much stronger impact than just using a plain medical term like “panic attacks."
 
Key Words and Phrases: postpartum depression, depression mother, depression, symptoms, panic, Emilia

Works Cited
“About May Clinic: Quality and Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 2017. Web. 19 March 2017. http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/quality/rankings.
 
Nisen, Max. “Mayo Clinic CEO: Here's Why We've Been The Leading Brand In Medicine For 100 Years.” Business Insider. Business Insider Inc. 23 Feb 2013. Web. 19 March 2017. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mayo-clinic-became-the-best-brand-in-medicine-2013-2.
 
Shields, Brooke. “Excerpt from Down Came the Rain.” PPDSupportpage. Ed. Tonya Rosenberg. N.D. Web. 19 Mar 2017. http://www.ppdsupportpage.com/brookeshields.html.

"The Babadook and Maternal Depression"

Source: Jacobsen, Pamela. "Eye on Fiction: The Babadook and Maternal Depression." Psychologist 29.11 (2016): 1-3. EBSCOhost. Web. 3 March 2017.

Summary: 
This short article offers a brief summary of the Babadook and provides insight into the manifestation of certain psychological phenomena that the author observes in the film. The author’s stated argument is that horror films often portray psychologically difficult situations in a more realistic and non-judgmental way than many inspirational mainstream films (Jacobsen 1).

Quality: 
A great strength of this source is the author’s distinctive perspective on the Babadook. Not only is she a long-time horror buff, but she has medical insight into the genre. She recalls, “I have watched a lot of horror movies in my life…the first movie my father ever took my mother to when they were dating was Carrie (dir. Brian De Palma, 1976)...Since becoming a mental health professional, it’s perhaps natural that I’ve become more attuned to depictions of mental health problems in the horror genre” (1). This family history, combined with her expertise as a “mental health professional” has allowed her to see patterns of mental health issues in the film such as suppression and denial of feelings. These may not be obvious to others untrained observers. She notes, “[Emilia] is shown to be frustrated and angry towards her son; unacceptable feelings that she can only suppress and deny for so long (2).

Issues: 
This is a good source, as far as it goes. It provides interesting insights and has many citations to back up its key assertions; however, it is a little short. Some psychological phenomena in the film could bear greater scrutiny. For example Jacobsen observes:

[Some] scenes also brought to mind the concept of ambiguous loss…A child with a depressed or traumatised parent experiences an ambiguous loss, because the parent is physically present but emotionally absent. Ambiguous losses disrupt normal grieving processes and prevents any sense of closure…(sic)”

Here, the author has assumed that the reader is conversant with the terms “normal grieving process” and “closure.” A little more detail about these terms as well as scenes from the film in which they play out could give curious readers more insight into Jacobsen’s interesting observations.

Key Words and Phrases
Trauma, depression, closure, grieving, prototype, ambiguous loss, taboo stigma, attachment, horror, Babadook, monster

Useful Quotes:
Since becoming a mental health professional, it’s perhaps natural that I’ve become more attuned to depictions of mental health problems in the horror genre. Indeed, although horror films are often regarded as being of rather low cultural value, I’ve often found they depict complex ideas about psychological distress and mental health difficulties through the use of metaphors in a very accurate and non-stigmatising way (sic) (1).

…the comfort and familiarity of daily rituals are perverted and hijacked by
an increasing sense of dread and violation (1).

The Babadook is a prototypical monster – shadowy and indistinct, half-human,
half-animal with a black hat and cape as ghoulish props (1).

When Sam is screaming and shouting, when he disobeys her, gets into trouble at
school, when he constantly wakes her up at night looking for reassurance, she is shown to be frustrated and angry towards her son; unacceptable feelings that she can only suppress and deny for so long (2).

Sam seems only too aware of the emotional unavailability of his mother during her darkest times, whilst also showing a wisdom beyond his years, in somehow being able to separate his mother from her affliction, saying ‘I know you don’t love me Mum – the Babadook won’t let you (2).

The Babadook cannot be simply ignored or shut up for ever, though – further care and attention is needed. In the closing scenes, we see Amelia presenting food to the Babadook in the basement, in a surprisingly tender way. In an interesting role reversal, the Babadook appears to be the one who is scared and roars back at Amelia. She recognises its fear and pain, and responds not by retreating, but instead approaching the monster with soothing words and gestures in an effort to comfort it. This is a rather moving scene, and seemed consistent with the work of Paul Gilbert and colleagues on compassion-focused therapy, which encourage us in part to try to befriend our inner critics and demons and to understand the messages they are bringing us, rather than fruitlessly battling to eliminate them altogether (Gilbert, 2009) (sic) (2).

The Babadook Explained: Ryan's Theory

Source: Hollinger, Ryan. “The Babadook Explained: Ryan’s Theory”. YouTube. uploaded by Ryan Hollinger, 16 May 2015.

You can watch this video HERE

Summary: 
This source is a video posted on YouTube. The video consists of Ryan Hollinger’s narration accompanied by scenes from the film which illustrate his key points. In its ten minutes, it offers an analysis of many of the Babadook’s key symbols, including the infamous worms, a symbol which is the subject of much debate. Additionally, it offers commentary on the relationships of the film’s main characters and the film's titular creature.   

Quality: 
This source has over one million hits on YouTube. This can be explained, I believe, due to its explanation of a movie with aggressively confusing symbolism in terms that are commonly understandable such as power and conflict: basically good vs. evil.

In this video, Ryan Hollinger effectively explains the Babadook as an internal struggle for the main character, Emilia. According to Hollinger, Emilia is being “evil” for selfishly putting her own grief over her job as a mother. Over the course of the film, she triumphs over her grief, represented by the evil Babadook. By vanquishing the Babadook, she lets go of her sorrow and embraces her motherly duties (Hollinger). This classic struggle of good vs. evil is the bread and butter of movie plots, and, based on the popularity of this video, seems to resonate with many people.

Examples of the clearly understandable good vs. evil dichotomy occur throughout Hollinger’s analysis of the film. For instance, he describes grief as a “black terrible ugly shadow”. The words “terrible” and “ugly” characterize the emotion of grief as evil. His description makes grief seem like the Babadook which is itself black, terrible, and ugly, and which certainly acts a destructive or “evil” force in the film.  

Issues: 
This source may be frustrating for some viewers because the thesis, the explanation of the confusing “worms scene,” appears at the end. At the start of the video, Ryan teases viewers, “It would be easy to give my interpretation [of the worms] right off the bat, but I’m never quite as simple as that…” The narrative here seems to be telling the viewer that this presentation will withhold the desired explanation until the end of the video for reasons that seem to be purely personal. If the video had volunteered the thesis, that the worms represent Emelia’s transition from a passive, weak character to an active, strong one then viewers may have gotten more from the video’s analysis of the film. 

 

Please consider this statement which, in the context of Hollinger’s thesis, would have much stronger thematic resonance. In speaking about the loss of Samuel’s father and its effects on his bereaved family, Ryan states, “…there is no dominant figure…Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…” Taken without the thesis, this sentence may come across as sexist. The phrases “…no dominant figure…” taken with “…confident husband…” seem to suggest that a mother can’t run a family on her own. However, if the thesis came first, this statement would sound less sexist. The thesis is about Emilia growing from weak to strong. Knowing that Ryan Hollinger believes Emilia can be strong could make his words sound more like he is describing a person undergoing a growth process and less like he is describing someone who is innately incapable of raising a child because of her gender.  

Key Words: Babadook, worms, interpretation, theory, good vs. evil, grief, sexism, gender, family, mother, power

Useful Quotes:

“Samuel is the boss of their relationship, because there is no dominant figure to take control. Sexism. Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…”

“Many people see the Babadook as a reflection of grief and the black terrible ugly shadow that it is”

“The big question everyone keeps pondering over is the significance of the worms”

“It would be easy to give my interpretation right off the bat, but I’m never quite as simple as that, so let’s put everything into context”.

“She loves her son unconditionally like any mother would, on the other hand she simply sees him as a burden”

“Samuel is the boss of their relationship, because there is no dominant figure to take control. Sexism. Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…”

“Samuel beings out [Emilia’s] real self”

“The Babadook once again opens its arms waiting her to embrace but she refuse and she realizes her responsibility and becomes a strong an confident mother” (sic).

“She has self-control. She confronts her anger and gives herself the support that no one else will”

“‘Worm’ is a term for someone who is cowardly or pitiful. She feeds the worm to the Babadook to feed her and her son’s previous negativities. It’s almost sacrificial in nature”

“‘…even a worm will turn” submissive quiet or gentle people can retaliate if pushed to their limits. [Emilia] goes from bottling her feelings to exploding with anger until she fought back and gained the happiness she so suffered greatly for.”