General Hospital will air a public service announcement this week in conjunction with a storyline it has been telling for several months. GH and Postpartum Support International (PSI) have partnered to create the PSA, which first airs on Thursday, April 16.
Founded in 1987, in its mission statement, PSI states that it was created to "eliminate the denial and ignorance of emotional health related to childbirth."
The public service announcement features Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio), whose character is a new mother dealing with postpartum depression. For several weeks, Robin has been plagued by overwhelming emotions and anxiety. During the May Sweeps period, Robin will finally come to terms with her illness and join a support group that will feature real-life mothers who have had battled postpartum depression.
According to the Mayo Clinic one in ten new moms experiences a more serious case of "baby blues" after childbirth. Postpartum depression, it cautions, "isn't a character flaw or a weakness. Sometimes postpartum depression is simply part of giving birth."