Kaiser, Don't Deny

Postpartum Depression

After having my second daughter in June 2017, I ended up with postpartum depression and anxiety. I couldn’t handle my own emotions, felt extremely stressed, and was on the verge of a mental breakdown — all while caring for two young children. I contacted Kaiser Fresno’s mental health department and had to leave a voicemail since no one answered the phone. I waited a week and heard nothing back. I called again and left another message. I waited an additional week and finally heard back from someone after leaving a third, not-so-nice message about the lack of their communication. The response was “we are booked for the next few months and can’t prescribe you anything until you see a doctor.” I responded that I couldn’t wait that long to see a doctor, so they referred me to an out-of-Kaiser psychiatrist who was AWFUL. She told me that postpartum depression wasn’t real and that I needed to just deal with my emotions like than adult. Needless to say, I did not go back to her. I called mental health again and again got no response, so I turned to my OB/GYN, who sat down and talked to me and prescribed me medication without any hesitation. She said it was completely ridiculous that I had to go through any of this. I normally love Kaiser but their mental health services are HORRIBLE.

Ariel
Fresno