Amanda Peet Talks Post-Partum Depression and Vaccines
August 8, 2008 by lkatulka
In an interview in the current issue of Gotham magazine, Amanda Peet has revealed that she struggled with “a fairly serious postpartum depression” following the birth of her daughter Frances “Frankie” Pen.
“I want to be honest about it because I think there’s still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mom instead of feeling this sort of ‘bliss.’ I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it’s hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it,” she explained.
Expecting to feel “fulfilled,” Amanda said she instead felt “sleep-deprived beyond belief” and ambivalent about motherhood.
Happily the actress has turned it around, and is relishing every moment with her adorable 17-month-old daughter.
She”s recently faced criticism over her support of pro-vaccine organization Every Child by Two, but Amanda says she hopes her efforts will “clarify and dispel some of the misinformation about the dangers of vaccines and the association between autism and vaccines.
“I think there’s a feeling, especially in Hollywood, that it’s cool to be really skeptical of pharmaceutical companies. I think that we’re so used to being skeptical that sometimes we take it too far. It leads to what can be really dangerous misinformation.”