Postpartum may be fueling suicides

• Source: Global Times
• [08:58 August 25 2010]
• Comments

By Zhang Cao

Postpartum depression is believed to be the reason behind a suicidal jump taken by a 30-year-old mother on Tuesday, who also carried her five-month-old baby in her arms during the fatal plunge - shedding a grim light on the absence of support for a growing number of women who suffer from the mood disorder.

The mother, who leapt from the ninth floor of her Minhang district apartment while holding her baby in her arms, succumbed to her injuries shortly afterwards at the Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai. Her child died immediately upon impact, said authorities.

Police are still investigating the case, but believe that the woman suffered from family problems and postpartum depression, which ultimately triggered her suicidal instincts.

Neighbors said that the woman was a Shanghai native, who worked as a teacher and lived with her husband whom she married last year. The family had no financial troubles, according to neighbors.

One neighbor surnamed Li witnessed several disputes between the woman and her mother-in-law in recent weeks.

"Her mother-in-law heavily blamed her for having a daughter, not a son," the man told the Global Times Tuesday.

According to Cui Can, a psychological counselor from the Shanghai Xinchao Psychology Consultation Center, it is extremely difficult for women with postpartum depression to cope with stress-related problems.

"If she suffered from this mood disorder, and was given a lot of grief for having a daughter instead of a son, she may have believed that she and her daughter's life were worthless," she told the Global Times Tuesday. "Those two factors combined could have easily been more than enough to push her over the edge.

"In many cases, family problems can further depression, and when left untreated over time the problem can become quite serious," she added.

Semi-precious daughters

Even in modern times, daughters are far less cherished compared to sons for many Chinese families. The mentality was most recently evident in a Minhang District People's Court verdict last Thursday.

A woman who beat her 5-year-old daughter to death was given only three years of probation, after which she will be excused from two years in jail, pending good behavior.

The court ruled that her actions were simply negligent.

"It was an accident," Yang Keyuan, a press officer of the court, told the Global Times Tuesday. "She didn't do it on purpose."

The court had no concerns about the mother returning home to look after her other child - a son.

According to neighbors, the mother, who was unemployed, used to frequently beat her daughter at home to teach her discipline, but never her son.