2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

WOMEN WITH PND SHARE THEIR DARKEST SECRETS: WOMEN TALK ABOUT THOUGHTS OF INFANTICIDE

Jennie Barr

School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane

j.barr@qut.edu.au

Whilst some women with postnatal depression can experience thoughts of infanticide there is not a great deal written about descriptions of these thoughts. During the first part of a doctoral research project women were asked to explain what it was like to live with postnatal depression. Many participants spontaneously described thoughts of infanticide as part of their experiences. These descriptions were collected and analysed using a hermeneutic research approach. This paper will present transcribed verbatim about these thoughts and the subsequent interpretations that have been made from these transcriptions. The purpose of this paper is to break the silence and to open up the discussion about this sensitive topic to improve the understandings that health professionals have about this area.