Kalispell Event Brings Awareness To Postpartum DepressionA group in the Flathead Valley is trying to bring more training and awareness about postpartum depression to the area by hosting a comedy show and fundraiser this weekend.
Having a baby was supposed to be the happiest time of Emily Lucas’s life. At least, that’s what movies, books and pop-culture implied.
But instead, "I would be thinking that I was a terrible mother and that needed to do some wacky things to mother better," Lucas said. "Like maybe, I had this thought that I should name my child something different, that I didn't know him."Lucas says she became “ragey” and anxious, and her thoughts grew scarier, so she contacted her midwife, who diagnosed her with postpartum depression. Now, Lucas, a clinical professional counselor, is vice president of the Flathead Valley-based Postpartum Resource Group.
The group is hosting a live broadcast of a postpartum-focused comedy show by Missoula-raised comedienne Melissa Bangs this Saturday to raise money for future training for area health professionals and clergy.
"Basically, how to respond and treat maternal mental health issues — and they cover the gamut of depression, anxiety, psychosis, mania, all of those pieces," Lucas said. "We need more people in this Valley who are able to respond to women when they are in this really scary moment."
Doors open at 4 p.m. for the 5 o’clock show of "Playing Monopoly With God" at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell.
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