America's top oncologist committed suicide after shooting his April daughter: this time, it's not just postpartum depression

Original | Pregnancy

What a human tragedy!

Recently, the news of a shooting made the headlines of major newspapers in the United States.

Dr. Christo Casseta, a 40-year-old top oncologist and hematologist who shot her 4-month-old daughter at home, shot herself.

It happened on August 5, after two gunshots at 7 a.m. cut through the quiet of Saturday, after which police cars and ambulances were parked outside the villa where Dr. Christopher and her husband lived.

According to information disclosed by the police, Christo and her 4-month-old daughter and her parents were at home at the time of the crime, and her husband was away.

In the morning, she quietly took the robbery (legally registered firearm) that her husband had put at home into the nursery, locked the door, shot her daughter first, and then immediately committed suicide.

When the parents heard the gunshots, they immediately slammed the door and called the police.

After the news was sent, there was a heated discussion, and everyone asked the cause of the tragedy.

In the two weeks following the tragedy, the police gradually pieced together some of Christo's experience before suicide.

Dr. Christopher was an excellent oncologist.

She is an oncologist and department leader at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, specializing in breast cancer and hematology.

She also holds the teaching position of Associate Professor of Medicine.

She has received many awards and honors, a strong reputation among colleagues and patients, and the "Patient Care of the Year Award".

Her learning experience is even more inspiring.

In the 8th grade, because her mother's best friend died of breast cancer, she decided to study medicine, specializing in oncology and breast cancer.

At the age of 26, she received her MD degree.

In 2022, she received a master's degree in health management from Cornell University.

She has a rich work experience, and is often invited to participate in academic visits and conferences, and has also formed a community of breast cancer patients to call for early screening and intervention.

In terms of work, Dr. Christopher can be said to have reached the pinnacle.

In life, Dr. Christo is an athlete who loves running and fitness, and has a very good reputation among colleagues and is good for patients.

In 2019, she married Tim Totti, who is 3 years her junior, and the wedding was lively, with her husband working as a chef and creating his own health food brand.

The two are very compatible in the days after marriage, they are a well-known loving couple, although the professions are different, but Christo is also very supportive of her husband's career, she acts as a product consultant for him, providing advice on medical and nutritional knowledge.

Two years after marriage, the couple moved into a new home and began to prepare for pregnancy, and in April 2023, 40-year-old Christo gave birth to her first child, a lovely daughter.

A family of three, originally happy, but tragedy happened 4 months after the birth of their daughter.

At present, there is no more information on why ambulances and police cars came, except according to neighbors: This summer, before the shooting, I saw ambulances and police cars come to her house two or three times.

As a result, investigators focused on Dr. Christo's mental condition before her death, believing that she may not only have postpartum depression, but also more extreme postpartum psychosis, which is more severe than postpartum depression.

After watching Dr. Christo's experience, many netizens regretted it:

"The police and ambulances came two or three times in the summer, and she was clearly mentally ill."

"My first reaction was postpartum depression, but I didn't expect it to be more rare and severe postpartum psychosis, which is too tragic."

"I have experienced that postpartum depression/postpartum psychosis is a devastating disease, the most uncomfortable feeling in the world."

"It's almost certainly postpartum psychosis."

"It's a pity that such a good person could have had a brighter future, but now everything is shattered."

"It's a pity that you can't heal yourself."

"The hardest job in the world is to be a mother and not accept rebuttal."

Yes, such a tragedy is really regrettable, the mother is pitiful, and the 4-month-old baby is even more pitiful.

I sincerely hope that there will be fewer such tragedies, and I hope that the family can pay more attention to the mental state of the postpartum mother.

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In every 3 moms

One mother will experience postpartum depression

The postpartum period is when women are most vulnerable and most prone to depression.

Mothers who have given birth know that postpartum depression is really too common.

Because the changes that pregnancy and childbirth bring to a woman are really earth-shaking, both physically and psychologically.

After giving birth to her second child, Xie Na fell into depression for a while, and sometimes she wanted to cry at a little thing...

Olympic champion Liu Xuan, because of postpartum depression, once very collapsed, his son cried and became irritable, wanting to escape and hide...

Yuen Yongyi also revealed on the show that she suffered from postpartum depression, and her mother came back from grocery shopping, feeling that her mother was too hard and wanted to cry; When my husband says a word casually, he will also want to cry.

During that time, she was on the verge of breaking down every day, and she could only use crying to release her emotions.

This is still the case for celebrity mothers, and even more so for ordinary mothers.

A mother said: When the mother's collapse was hidden in the middle of the night, before giving birth, she experienced October pregnancy, contractions, and ten-degree labor and tears before giving birth.

I originally thought that confinement was for blessings and nourishment, eating confinement meals, enjoying the care of my family, and having someone to help with the children.

But when I really gave birth, I found that the most tired person in the confinement was still myself.

The sky at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the morning, damn have seen it.

Because it is a mother, she should sleepily milk the child, change diapers, and coax the child day and night.

It is also necessary to endure the discomfort of elbows and lower backs to hold the child, endure the fragmented routine and the crying of the child at any time and anywhere.

In such a tired state, mothers really can't go back alone.

A while ago, there was a video that the pregnant mother was very heart-wrenching to watch.

A mother is at home alone with her baby, but no matter what she does, the child follows her like a little tail, follows her to the toilet, follows when cooking, and has to hold the child wherever she goes.

Finally fell asleep, the mother woke up as soon as she left, the clingy child, the discomfort of the mother's menstrual period, could not eat for a day, she completely collapsed and couldn't help but roar.

The child was so frightened that he cried, and despite being pushed away by his mother, he repeatedly stepped forward to try to hug his mother.

She immediately regretted it, regretting that the child was so young, but she had to bear her bad temper, and she felt uncomfortable after hitting herself several times.

Such a collapse is really only understood by those who have experienced it, the child is full of eyes only mother, such a child which mother is willing to roar, but at that moment she is really too tired.

Many mothers have experienced such a collapse, they heal themselves in collapse every day, and collapse in self-healing ...

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Postpartum depression

It's real!

To this day, there are still many onlookers who think that postpartum depression is hypocritical.

In the "New Mother Emotional Blue Book", it is pointed out that more than 40% of new mothers have been said by their families because of postpartum depression that they are "too pretentious, born in blessings and do not know blessings".

There was a very popular video on the Internet before, where several mothers told their experiences of postpartum depression.

A depressed wife after giving birth said: I haven't been very happy since I gave birth, to be honest.

But my husband said: I don't think you have postpartum depression, you just lose control of your emotions.

Another mother said: I am very sick, but because there is no cough, no runny nose, no one in the family knows that I am sick, and they do not think that I am sick.

Some people even say: there is no postpartum depression at all, but it is made up on the Internet, and women are too fussy!

But postpartum depression is real, and many mothers do not get the attention of their families because of postpartum depression, which leads to tragedy.

A 37-year-old mother in Changsha, Hunan Province, committed suicide by jumping off a building with her 5-month-old daughter because of postpartum depression.

A mother in Shandong Province strangled her 4-year-old son because of postpartum depression, and then committed suicide by slashing her neck, hands, and arms with a knife...

A mother of a second child in confinement in Jinhua, Zhejiang, jumped from a tall building with her daughter who was not yet full moon because of postpartum depression...

A netizen's mother said: I once had a very serious postpartum depression after giving birth to my daughter, I really couldn't control my situation, and even wanted to commit suicide with my child, so everyone must take more care of my postpartum mother.

That's right, postpartum because of the fall of hormones, postpartum anxiety to take care of the baby, mental pressure given by people around them, lack of understanding of husbands or elders, etc., may make postpartum mothers fall into depression.

At this special time, we must pay more attention to the mental state of postpartum mothers and give them more companionship and support.

Because postpartum depression is really not hypocritical, it is really sick, severe postpartum depression will be fatal!

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The three stages of postpartum depression

The more serious the more dangerous

If mothers find themselves with postpartum depression, be sure to evaluate their depressed status.

There are three levels of postpartum depression:

First: low mood after childbirth

Inexplicably, for no reason, I want to cry, sad, anxious, and feel that life is gray.

According to statistics, about 80% of new mothers have experienced postpartum depression, which is most severe within 2 weeks after giving birth.

Most people say goodbye to depression after 4 weeks, and many people last longer.

This is normal postpartum depression. Because of hormones, it is normal to experience anxiety, fatigue, and mood swings during confinement.

There are few mothers who have not cried and made a fuss, but afterwards they feel strange, why are the emotions so intense?

It's really not hypocrisy. It took a full 10 months of pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone increased 10 times, and it only took 72 hours after giving birth to fall back to the pre-pregnancy state, and no one can stand it!

This depression can usually be slowly self-regulated, gradually disappearing after confinement, and most postpartum mothers have postpartum depression and do not rise to the point of disease. As long as the family, especially the husband, is around to accompany and take care of them at this time, the mother's depression can be relieved in time.

Second: postpartum depression

Being officially called postpartum depression is much more serious than postpartum depression.

About 10~15% of new mothers will have this symptom: excessive fatigue, frequent crying, easy anger, full of guilt, etc.

Severe postpartum depression. There will be insomnia, severe mood swings, intense irritability, difficulty in close contact with the baby, loss of appetite, and suicidal thoughts.

Postpartum depression generally begins within 6 weeks postpartum, is most severe in the 10th week, lasts from a few days to 1 year, and requires adjuvant treatment with medication or psychological counseling.

If you find yourself suffering from postpartum depression, don't think you're a bad mother, it just means that you're sick, just like you have a cold.

Third: postpartum psychosis

In the most severe degree, only 0.1% of new mothers suffer from this disease after giving birth: severe excitement, confusion, disappointment, shame, severe insomnia, delusions, delusions, hallucinations, rapid speech, mania, attempts to harm themselves or their baby, etc.

Once the new mother is found to have this disease, the family should be taken to the hospital immediately to avoid the risk of suicide or injury to the baby.

The American Medical Association states: "Postpartum depression can put you and your child at serious risk, and if the condition develops into postpartum psychosis, the results can be catastrophic." ”

So, never neglect postpartum depression!

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Self-help and being rescued

It is the best way out of depression

Every mother's family must know that postpartum depression is not something that women can completely overcome with their personal beliefs.

Paying attention to postpartum depression is to pay attention to a human life!

Under the topic of postpartum depression, a mother said:

When I just gave birth, I didn't talk all day, I kept crying, my husband asked me what to cry, I said I don't know, just want to cry, my husband ran to the hospital for consultation, the doctor said that it was postpartum depression, to care more about the mother, my husband was scared to death, back home even did not dare to go to work, help me at home to watch the child, chat with me, slowly just fine, now think about it is really scared.

Recognize your emotions and ask your family for help in time to get rid of the dilemma of depression.

First, self-help - don't force yourself to be a 100-point mother

● Don't demand perfection. No one can be a perfect mother, don't demand too much from yourself, and lowering psychological expectations can relieve some of the burden.

●Distraction. Don't always focus on the bad things, focus more on the pleasant things, or the things you enjoy. Communicate with people and develop hobbies.

●Relax appropriately. Taking care of children is an individual work, and children's sleep is irregular, so when children rest, they should also try to rest as much as possible and adjust the content of life appropriately.

●Proactive help. When you feel helpless and emotionally broken, you can confide in your partner, girlfriends, and parents, ask for help, and don't carry it by yourself all the time.

Second, be rescued - the support and encouragement of husband and family

●Timely communication. Learn more about the inner suffering of the postpartum mother, from a little girl to a mother, this role change sometimes comes too suddenly will have a certain impact on the mother's mood, this gap in the heart needs someone to channel, especially the husband.

● Understand your mother's mindset and identify with your mother's feelings. If the family finds that the mother is not in a good mood, they should empathize and give full understanding, instead of blaming the mother for being too fragile and sensitive, as Xie Yilin said, when taking care of the baby is tired to the point of out-of-body, it really just needs to have enough love from the husband to be full of energy again.

●Give more companionship to postpartum mothers. Let her feel the warmth and care from her family at all times, hug her when she is tired, coax the child when she cries, and make her feel that she is not alone.

●My husband should take care of the children and take on the task of cleaning up the house. Taking the initiative to soak milk and change diapers at night gives her plenty of time to rest and relax.

For many mothers, the companionship and understanding from the family is itself a kind of healing, which can make the mother feel the sunshine from the family and help the mother relieve depression faster.

Finally, I would like to say to all mothers:

Before you learn to love your children, be sure to learn to take care of yourself.

Let go of excessive self-demands and be gentle with yourself.

When you encounter difficulties, seek help from your family and do not stand up alone.

If you are unlucky enough to meet a good mother-in-law, keep your distance from your mother-in-law.

Eat well, sleep well, see a doctor quickly if you have any diseases, and have a good body is more important than anything else.

I also hope that every husband can give his wife a little more thoughtfulness and love after giving birth.

Accompany her, encourage her, support her, understand her... Try to share everything about her!

Reference article

"America's top oncologist committed suicide after shooting her eldest daughter in April!" Suspected of suffering from postpartum psychosis, netizens: too tragic...@英国报姐"