[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I have come to the floor today to shed 
some light on the impacts of postpartum depression among our Nation's 
mothers.
  Just a bit over a month ago, I sat down with a local Anchorage 
reporter as part of a series addressing the impacts of postpartum 
depression, PPD. As part of a four-part series, seven brave, strong, 
passionate women from the Anchorage community came forward and shared 
their stories. I joined those women in sharing my own account of the 
difficulties I faced as I transitioned into my new role as a mother.
  I have been inspired by these women and other advocates that fight so 
hard to help raise awareness of PPD, and I wanted to share the story of 
one woman who lost her daughter to PPD. I met this woman shortly after 
I filmed my interview. She works in Anchorage and Wasilla, AK, as a 
child and adolescent psychiatrist and has always been passionate about 
providing care and support to children and adolescents in an effort to 
reduce and prevent suicide. She began to advocate for PPD after her 
daughter, Brittany, suffered and ultimately lost her life to PPD. She 
was only 25 years old.
  Brittany was a bright, passionate, and lively young woman. She was 
born in Fairfax, VA in 1989. She excelled in school and graduated with 
an international baccalaureate degree at age 16 from Mount Vernon High 
School. Brittany loved animals and dreamt of becoming a sports 
veterinarian 1 day. She continued to excel academically while taking 
preveterinarian courses through the University of Pittsburg and later 
online through North Carolina State University.
  One of Brittany's main life goals was to race in one of my favorite 
Alaskan events, the Iditarod. She owned, raced, and showed several 
Siberian Huskies, but also worked as a dog handler for Karen Ramstead 
as part of Karen's preparation for the Iditarod. But above all else, 
Brittany considered motherhood to be her greatest achievement.
  Sadly, she began to struggle with PPD after a complicated delivery 
resulting with her newborn son spending a week in the neonatal 
intensive care unit. Brittany suffered from violent and powerful 
emotions and sought treatment from her physicians for PPD. Her cries 
for help went unanswered as her physicians were unable or were ill-
equipped to help her. Around her son's first birthday Brittany lost her 
battle with PPD. Shortly thereafter, a successful Iditarod athlete, 
DeeDee Janrowe, raced the Iditarod in Brittany's honor. As I have said, 
Brittany was a bright, motivated, loving young woman who was stuck down 
early in her life because she did not have the access to the treatment 
she needed. Her story is one of many. PPD impacts women of every race, 
income, and background.
  All too often, women who have PPD feel helpless, overwhelmed, and 
confused. They may feel like they are not properly bonded with their 
babies or ill-equipped for parenthood and cannot understand what might 
have gone wrong. Often, we assume that with parenthood comes immediate 
joy, but in fact, one in seven mothers nationwide will suffer from PPD. 
In Alaska, our numbers are twice the national average at one in three. 
There are some nonprofit organization that seek to raise awareness and 
help women connect with treatment for PPD, but often, they are located 
in only the most populous parts of a State, but what about the rural 
communities? What about the women who are unable to receive a proper 
screening, diagnosis, or treatment early on?
  That is why I support legislation like the Bringing Postpartum 
Depression Out of the Shadows Act, and I want to thank Senators 
Alexander, Murray, Cassidy, and Murphy for including PPD in the Mental 
Health Reform Act. I have cosponsored both pieces of legislation 
because I believe we must do more to ensure the proper screening and 
treatment of PPD. I support efforts to improve culturally competent 
programs that will help educate physicians, especially primary care 
providers, on the proper detection and treatment of PPD. This will not 
only benefit the women suffering from PPD but improve the health and 
well-being of their children and their families as a whole. With so 
many mothers across Alaska and the Nation facing PPD, it is essential 
we put this issue at the forefront and openly discuss, educate, and 
improve our understanding of this illness.
  I stand here today in support of women all across the Nation facing 
PPD, and I will continue to advocate for the services they deserve.

                          ____________________