Postpartum psychosis tully

Does Tully accurately depict postpartum depression ? There is no one “correct” depiction of postpartum depression or perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. The main character, Marlo, experiences delusions, hallucinations, and manic episodes, which are characteristics of postpartum psychosis , which is a serious, life-threatening illness and often (unfortunately) mislabeled as postpartum depression. Yes, postpartum psychosis , a more serious disorder , can cause hallucinations , but Tully in no way depicts this disorder or even mentions it. Diablo Cody, the writer and director of Tully , did not make a movie for mothers.

She made a movie for awards, critical acclaim and in my opinion, attention. This is a mixed blessing for women. While they both can share depressive moods , postpartum psychosis involves hallucinations and delusional thinking, which Marlo goes through when she imagines Tully.

Though her condition is not name Marlo appears to be suffering from postpartum psychosis , a rare and dangerous temporary mental illness that affects about one in 0women after they give birth and requires immediate help. My issue is that in not addressing the fact that Marlo has a postpartum psychosis , the rampant problem of unaddressed maternal mental health concerns is perpetuated. The reason that people are so excited about Tully is because they feel like it is the first time that true motherhood is being portrayed on the big screen—but this is not true motherhood.

While Charlize Theron is earning praise from critics for her performance in her new movie Tully , in which she plays a mother of three with postpartum depression , the film is causing controversy about its portrayal of the disorder. As a postpartum depression survivor and advocate, I can tell you that the help needed to get better isn’t going to come from a made-up savior, no matter what form it takes. When it’s time for Tully to leave, she tells Marlo, “I was really here to get you through the danger zone.

Newsflash: That’s not how a mental illness works. By calling what Marlo is experiencing PP advocates feel the film missed a huge opportunity to address. First and foremost Tully is a movie that depicts a mental illness. It is not really a realistic picture of the typical motherhood experience (although the stepping on Legos is pretty accurate). What Marlo is experiencing is postpartum psychosis.

She is seeing, talking and believing there is something and someone there who isn’t real. Mothers who experience the disorder need help, and quickly. Knowing what to look for is the first step to getting treatment.

Some of the symptoms to look out for include hallucinations (like in Tully ),. Postpartum mood disorders, especially psychosis , are cloaked in stigma and shame. Motherhood can fill you with self-doubt to begin with, which is why moms who have experienced psychosis need to know that their illness does not make them a bad mother, that they will get better, and that they are stronger than they realize.

Treatment for postpartum psychosis generally includes: Hospitalization. Antipsychotic medications. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Counseling with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other qualified mental health professional. Charlize Theron has apparently given the performance of her life in the latest collaboration between Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody.

Sundance audiences lost their collective minds over it and early reviews are all breathless raves. I don’t know that it “portrays postpartum psychosis ” so much as has a plot twist that you’d expect in any thriller movie. I think people are overreacting.

I went and saw it by myself. About to have my second kid.