LV woman recalls battle with disorder

Friday, June 22, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

Andrea Dresser of Las Vegas remembers the frightening voices that raced through her head, alongside visions of herself harming her infant son.

"I kept seeing the baby thrown on the floor and blood spattered all over, and then I would think, 'Did I do it or did I dream it,' " said Dresser, who facilitates support groups for women facing postpartum depression. "I was living in a private hell."

The news that a Texas mother may have been suffering from postpartum depression when she allegedly drowned her five young children horrified Dresser, who won her battle with the disorder.

"We need to know the complete story of the mother," Dresser said. "Was she in treatment? Was there mental illness at a deeper level? Was she working with a health care professional? Did she have anyone providing emotional support?'

Dresser said that although the disorder gets more attention now than when she suffered from it 10 years ago, more work needs to be done. Dresser, a representative of Postpartum Support International, said her group has pushed for prenatal screenings to determine which mothers may be at risk for the disorder, as well as follow-up visits beyond the six-week checkup.

Cases of postpartum psychosis, in which a woman experiences hallucinations or actually harms herself or someone else, occur in less than two-tenths of 1 percent of all pregnancies, said Charles Cooley, a psychologist at University Medical Center.

Up to 80 percent of women experience mild depression in the weeks immediately following childbirth, often called the "baby blues," Cooley said. Postpartum depression usually strikes between three and six months after childbirth and can continue for up to a year. Common symptoms include loss of appetite, extreme mood swings and feeling angry or helpless.

The number of women who experience postpartum depression is estimated at 10 percent to 15 percent of new mothers, but the disorder is under-reported, Cooley said.

"Sometimes women think if they just try harder the problem will go away," Cooley said. "Unfortunately, ignoring postpartum depression can make it worse."

In some instances what appears to be postpartum depression is actually caused by a thyroid imbalance that can be treated with medication, Cooley said. Anti-depressants have also been successful in treating the disorder, he said.

"There is help out there," Cooley said. "There's no reason for anyone to go through this alone."

For information about support groups in the area for postpartum depression, contact Dresser at (702) 320-4022.