http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/opinion/l05shields.html

A Serious Look at Her Depression (6 Letters)
Published: July 5, 2005

To the Editor:

Thank you for publishing "War of Words," by Brooke Shields (Op-Ed, July 1).

I think it is very important that women who are having feelings of sadness, helplessness or hopelessness after giving birth talk to someone about it.

If women listen to Tom Cruise, they won't get the help they need and bigger problems will arise. There may be times when medication is handed out like candy, but for Mr. Cruise to insinuate that it is all the time is just wrong. He's making a blanket statement that leaves a lot of very ill people out on a limb with no help.

Those who practice Scientology can treat their conditions any way they wish. But they shouldn't make judgments about how others choose to handle their medical issues.

Mental and emotional disorders are no less medical than a broken bone or cancer, and they can be more deadly to the sufferer or those around them.

Amber Conley Jacksonville, Fla., July 1, 2005•

To the Editor:

I agree with Brooke Shields that Tom Cruise is not an expert on postpartum depression.

Mr. Cruise is certainly entitled to his opinions on psychiatry, but he should not imply that he is an expert just because he has read the history of psychiatry.

Postpartum depression is serious and has led to horrible consequences when left untreated. I have two children and experienced some depression after the birth of my first child. It was not a pleasant feeling.

Perhaps when Mr. Cruise gives birth, he might be a little more sympathetic to the huge hormonal changes that women undergo and realize that exercise and vitamins do not cure all.

Deborah R. Durning New City, N.Y., July 1, 2005

To the Editor:

While I find our society's obsession with celebrities to be of dubious value, nevertheless I can't deny their influence over public opinion.

Tom Cruise's bizarre remarks, apparently based on his religious convictions, about Brooke Shields's condition were at best inappropriate and ill considered.

At worst, they could influence women suffering from postpartum depression to delay or avoid seeking medical care.

As Ms. Shields's article demonstrates, medical therapy in severe postpartum depression saves lives. Her story will doubtless help other women who endure similar suffering.

Michele Ritan Decatur, Ga., July 1, 2005

To the Editor:

Cheers and compassion to Brooke Shields for discussing her struggles with postpartum depression. Her story is at once very private, and yet she had the courage to make it very public.

My wish is for similar recognition that new fathers are not immune from depression after childbirth.

For the first 12 months after my son was born, I experienced the same feelings of regret, distance, anger, dread and suicide that Ms. Shields describes.

Unfortunately, there is a remarkable dearth of information for new dads who have these problems. For too long, the literature and public custom assumed that postpartum depression was the exclusive province of mothers. Now some studies are beginning to focus on new fathers.

The causes may or may not be similar, but Dad can experience similar debilitating depression.

Steve Henty Fairport, N.Y., July 1, 2005

To the Editor:

In the United States, women are practically on their own after a child is born. I am originally from India, and the problem of postpartum depression is practically nonexistent there because in almost all cases, a woman goes to her parents' house for childbirth and stays with them for two to three months after the baby is born.

At her parents' house, the woman feels secure, has no pressure to look continually after the baby, does not have to deal and cope with other household chores, and, most important, knows that the child is well cared for.

Even in the unlikely event of a postpartum depression, the mother can deal with it in a far better way than if she were alone.

Unfortunately, things may be changing in India, too, in middle- and upper-middle-class families. But there is no better place for a woman to be after childbirth than with her parents.

It's good for her, it's good for the baby, and it's good for the family.

Prakash Navare Succasunna, N.J., July 1, 2005

To the Editor:

Brooke Shields is right on in her take on Tom Cruise. She's been there. He hasn't.

But like all those with one-track minds, Mr. Cruise thinks his truth is the only one, and anyone who doesn't agree with him doesn't know the "real story."

I wonder if he has any idea of how foolish and shallow he makes himself look.

Sandra Sizer Boston, July 1, 2005

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