Praise for Transformed by Postpartum Depression,
Dr. Walker Ladd has forged the future for maternal mental health. Her
provocative book, Transformed by Postpartum Depression, will challenge
and change clini-cians, researchers, and the public. Finally, the
paradigm of PPD has been broadened to include trauma and the human
condition. She has exposed a missing piece of the postpartum puzzle.
Thank you, Walker!
-Jane Honikman, MA, Founder, Postpartum Support International
Walker Ladd has achieved greatness in the PPD com-munity with her
emphasis on trauma, transformation, and personal growth. What makes
Transformed by Postpartum Depression so uniquely powerful is that Ladd
stands in the face of preconceived notions and challenges them with the
stories and voices of real women who speak the truth and deserve to be
heard. The conviction of these experiences holds tremendous healing
power on behalf of the PPD woman seeking support as well as valued
wisdom for the clinician who is accompanying this journey.
-Karen Kleiman, MSW, Founder & Director, The Postpartum Stress Center;
Author, Therapy and the Postpartum Woman
The beauty of Dr. Ladd's book, Transformed by Postpartum Depression,
is that it is written not only for clinicians, but also for women who
have suffered through postpartum depression. This book will provide much
needed hope for mothers in the throes of this devastating mood disorder.
The powerful narratives included in this book provide the readers with
an insider's view of how mothers have been transformed by postpartum
depression.
-Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, Professor, School of Nursing,
University of Connecticut
Transformed by Postpartum Depression traces the experiences of 25
women through the trauma of postpartum depression. The impact of
untreated postpartum depression is described within the context of the
psychological literature on trauma and posttraumatic growth. Women
describe being terrified by symptoms they didn't understand and the
systemic failure of care providers to screen or treat their worsening
symptoms, resulting in life threatening and life changing trauma.
Interviews with leaders in the field of maternal mental health provide
critical counterpoint to the concept of postpartum depression as a
traumatic life event. Transformed by Postpartum Depression provides
timely and insightful reflection on the state of maternal mental health
in the United States.
Walker Ladd, Ph.D. has been a recognized thought leader in the field of
maternal mental health for nearly two decades. Her writing and research
challenge current paradigms of motherhood and mental illness, using
women's stories to reveal the hidden truths and extraordinary dimensions
of the lived experience of motherhood. Dr. Ladd's personal experiences
with traumatic childbirth, breast cancer, postpartum depression, and
major depressive disorder drive her passion for her bold, soulful, and
transformative work.
