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Brent Staples '' Black Men In Public Places'

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In Brent Staples’ “Black men in public places” it highlights the theme of stereotypes. In the story he was assumed by the people he encountered in public places that because he is a black man he must be a criminal, rapist, mugger, or some other type of inhumane person. In truth he is an educated respected black man who earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. Like black men in public places I also dealt with a stereotype. It differed in that I’m not a black male fighting the stereotypes of being a criminal, but because I was a new mom and the stereotype that I was happy, excited, and full of joy but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is the raw truth about my journey as a new mom. Remember, you can’t always …show more content…

The word postpartum means "after birth”. Postpartum psychosis which is also known as “Postnatal onset bipolar disorder” is a severe mental illness with sudden onset of psychotic symptoms following childbirth. The common symptoms of a woman with this diagnosis would be; extreme mood swings, hallucinations or having irritable outburst. I suffered from all symptoms. It’s been 3 years and 8 months since my diagnoses. I was living in a nightmare, locked in an imaginary cage; afraid of what I would do to my son if I was alone with him. I decided to seek help and was placed into an intense outpatient program called “Maternal outreach mood services” at El Camino Hospital. It is a group based program where we’d meet four days a week from eight in the morning till one in the afternoon. In the group we’d work on self-care, realistic expectations of motherhood, stress management and enhancing mother- baby attachment. I would also meet with my psychiatrist once or twice a week to discuss my progress. Throughout this journey, my husband; Jay, my mother, and my friend Paula would switch shifts with one another to stick with me so I wouldn’t be alone with my son until I was ready. Speaking from personal experience, the program saved my life. I built up the courage to talk freely about my feelings and thoughts floating around in my head because let’s face it, telling a friend over coffee that my breast pump was talking to me …show more content…

It is a rare illness that occurs in approximately 1 to 2 per 1000 women after childbirth. Its presentation is often dramatic, with onset of symptoms as early as the first 48 to 72 hours after delivery. The majority of women with puerperal psychosis develop symptoms within the first two postpartum weeks. Symptoms of postpartum physics often include delusions or strange beliefs, hallucinations, decreased need for or inability to sleep, paranoia and suspiciousness. The most significant risk factors for postpartum psychosis are a personal or family history of bipolar disorder, or a previous psychotic episode. Postpartum psychosis is different from the baby blues; 70% of new mothers experience the baby blues, which is a short-lasting condition that does not impact their daily functioning and does

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