State of Michigan Special Tribute presented to Tree of Hope Foundation in recognition of
Postpartum Depression Awareness Month.
POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AWARENESS MONTH MAY2012
LET
IT BE KNOWN, That it is with great importance that we recognize and commemorate May 2012 as
Postpartum Depression Awareness Month. Because twenty percent of families who have infants suffer from
this disorder, it is very important that we acknowledge them. Additionally, many more cases are unreported
or undiagnosed. Each year in the state of Michigan, it is estimated that 24,000 families are victims.
We realize that the symptoms
of postpartum depression can be difficult to distinguish and that they have a tendency to vary from
person to person. Some common symptoms are: anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, difficulty sleeping, guilt,
irritability, feeling disconnected from one's baby, and frightening or intrusive thoughts. Postpartum
depression affects nearly 1 in 7 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers. Since there is no single test to diagnose
postpartum depression; raising awareness, helping to increase the public's education about the depression and reaching
out to the one's health providers are ways to help someone who is suffering from postpartum depression.
Women commonly have mood
changes during and after a pregnancy which are caused by hormone level fluctuations. This is normal
and expected. It is very important to the overall health of the family to be supportive and attentive
to the transformations of the new lifestyle that welcomes a baby in the home.
IN SPECIAL TRIBUTE, Therefore,
This document is dedicated and signed to recognize and commemorate May 2012 as Postpartum Depression
Awareness Month and show support for all families who are affected by this disorder. May education and
awareness reach out and help our families fight postpartum depression in an early stage.
Welcome to the new Tree of Hope Foundation's Web Site!
We are experiencing a few growing pains. Please excuse us if we are not at 100% yet, but we will be very soon. Thank
you for your patience!
Please help us make this site more Useful and easier to use by filling
out the feed back forum after your visit.
Our mission of hope is to lift the dark shadow of Postpartum Depression from the lives of women andfamilies afflicted with this disease through the
followinginitiatives:
• Increase Postpartum Depression awareness and understanding among new parents, parents-to-be, and members of
the medical community-at-large through the development of educational programs, literature,and government/community/business
partnerships
• Provide easily accessible support to people currently in the throes of Postpartum Depression
• Promote research geared specifically toward
understanding mood disorders and the development of increasingly more effective ways to treat them
Tree of
Hope Foundation's Postpartum Support Groups Support
Groups meet every week, require no referral and are provided at no charge to the participants.
