MMHRC Blog
Patient Experience
A Black Body in the Healthcare System – Brianna’s Story
I have many identities as I navigate through the world. Through observation alone you may gather that I am wife, a mother, a black woman. You may make educated guesses about my status if you take note of what I am wearing that particular day or my mode of transportation. As I navigate my work…
Read MoreWhat It’s Like to Be a Black Woman with Bipolar Disorder
Editors note: We’re thrilled to bring you a guest post from Fightress Aaron, a Black woman living with Bipolar Disorder I. You can find her blogging, advocating and speaking her truth at www.beautifulblackandbipolar.com When I received my Bipolar Disorder I diagnosis five years ago, I felt a sense of relief. I was relieved to finally…
Read MoreLisa Tremayne: Children Were Everything I Ever Wanted
6 years. 72 months. 72 times I got my period and was so disappointed that my body had failed me again. That’s how the inability to conceive feels and the words that we in the medical field – I am a maternal child health nurse use – the inability to conceive. Just to make sure…
Read MoreKat Schuknecht: We Are Working to Change Things for the Mothers Who Come After Us
My name is Kat and I’m extremely excited to be a part of MMHRC! I’m the mama of two girls – ages 9 and 5. I developed postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety (PPA) shortly after my oldest was born. It wasn’t until my younger daughter came along four years later that I was really…
Read More21 Ridiculous Reasons Moms’ Mental Health Wasn’t Taken Seriously
Despite assurances from health care providers that maternal mental health issues are taken seriously, we know from our lived experience this isn’t always the case. There are many instances where a mom has reached out for help only to be met with blank stares. Or worse yet, ridiculous reasons why what they’re experiencing is either…
Read MoreCeleste Chapko: Evidenced-based Research Means our Daughters will Have a Different Reality
My name is Celeste Chapko and I am SO excited to be joining the Maternal Mental Health Research Collaborative as a Patient Expert Advisor. My experience with maternal mental health began when I was pregnant with my daughter, just over five years ago. When I was seven months pregnant with her, I started to experience…
Read MoreNo More Excuses: Providers Are Accountable for Their Lack of Knowledge About Moms’ Mental Health
When it comes to maternal mental health, there’s always an excuse as to why moms get bad treatment. It may be that screening takes too long. There is a duty to report if a mom is thought to be a danger to her child. Psychiatrists are the best professionals to handle mental illness. OBs don’t…
Read MoreBrain Fog: Coping Strategies for When You Can’t Concentrate
Brain fog is one of those often overlooked symptoms of a maternal mental illness that can cause you an incredible amount of frustration. And just like other symptoms of illnesses like depression and anxiety, brain fog can look different for everyone. Because it doesn’t fit with symptoms we typically associate with depression or anxiety, it…
Read MoreFinding Power As a Patient
A big part of what the MMHRC is about is patient expertise, gained through lived experience, and our collective ability to harness that deep insight and shape the research agenda. It’s about empowerment through the sharing of our stories; taking ownership of those personal experiences and using them to heal and provide hope to others.…
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