Suicide & Mental Health: Should Pregnant Women Be Treated Differently? Find out on Wednesday, June 26th

Suicide & Mental Health: Should
Pregnant Women Be Treated Differently? Find out on Wednesday, June 26th

 

This
fall, something unprecedented in US history is scheduled to take place in
Indianapolis, Indiana: A woman who attempted suicide while pregnant will be put
on trial for murder and attempted feticide and face the possibility of decades
in prison or deportation. Some believe that pregnant women who attempt suicide
deserve to be punished, even though other people who attempt suicide are not.
Some people believe that pregnant women, unlike other people, should be able to
stop or control the mental health conditions that lead to suicide attempts.
Please join 12 Indiana-based and national organizations for a special public
forum: Suicide, Mental Health, and Healing: What Helps and Should
Pregnant Women Be Treated Differently?

 

This
forum will take place on Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at
Butler University (Pharmacy Building, Room 156). If you are unable to travel to
Indianapolis, you can watch remotely online by selecting the “ONLINE
Participant (via web)” option on the online ticketing page.

 

This
forum will address the psychology of suicide, myths and prejudices about
suicide and mental health issues, and how we can best respond to the issue of
suicide.Speakers will address such questions as:

 

Why
do people attempt suicide?

Are
pregnant women different from other people who attempt suicide?

What
are the life events most associated with suicide attempts?

How
can those who attempt suicide be helped?

How
can suicide be prevented?

How
are family members and the community affected by those who have attempted or
who have actually committed suicide?

Is
it ever helpful to address suicide through the criminal justice system?

What
laws and policies will help prevent suicide and advance understanding of mental
health issues?

What
resources are available to individuals and families in Indiana?

 

Expert
Speakers:

 

Laura
Miller, MD, MPH, Director,
Women’s Mental Health Fellowship, Brigham and Women’s HealthCare, Professor of
Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Attending Physician, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital. Dr. Miller is an expert in perinatal and postpartum psychiatry whose
work focuses on integrating scientific research concerning women’s mental
health with medical practice, education, and policy.

 

 

Brownsyne
Tucker Edmonds, MD, MS, MPH, FACOG,Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana
University School of Medicine. Dr. Tucker Edmonds’ research interests are in
patient-provider communication and decision- making for value-laden and
preference-sensitive decisions. Her work is aimed at promoting and facilitating
shared decision-making in high-risk obstetrical settings.

 

 

Stephen
C. McCaffrey, JD, President and CEO,Mental Health America Indiana. Mr. McCaffrey, a graduate of Purdue University
and Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, has been with MHAI since
1991. He currently serves as Chair of the Mental Health and Addiction Advisory
Committee.

 

 

Co-sponsors for this event: The American Congress of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists; the American Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide – Indiana
Chapter; Backline; Demia (Butler University’s student chapter of the Feminist
Majority Leadership Alliance); Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at Butler
University; Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice; LRSJ (Law
Students for Reproductive Justice) Bloomington; Mental Health America of
Indiana; NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Indiana; National Perinatal
Association; National Advocates for Pregnant Women; National Asian and Pacific
American Women’s Forum

 

Educational
events like this one make a difference for women and communities. But they
don’t just happen — they take time, money, and support. Please donate to National Advocates for Pregnant Women.

 

And
if you have not already, please join the more than 43,000 other people who have
signed the change.org petition urging Prosecutor Terry Curry to drop
the charges against Bei Bei Shuai.