Even though we know we watch film and television shows for storytelling, audiences tend to take them seriously. Serious subject matters like postpartum depression are not shown very much in entertainment mediums. However, according to the American Psychological Association, postpartum depression affects one in seven women. Diablo Cody’s film, Tully, experienced controversy from mothers. They stated that the film and advertising did not accurately portray postpartum depression.

How Does The Plot Address Postpartum Depression?

The film Tully is about a mother pregnant with her third child going through a massive amount of stress. Her husband is not helping her out very much, and she is left to deal with the impulsivity of one of her children, breast pumping, and putting her baby to sleep all by herself. She decides to hire a night nanny to help make things easier for her. This plotline was in the advertisements for the film. Mothers complained to Postpartum Support International two months before the film’s release about the trailer. They felt like the film doesn’t show postpartum depression in an accurate light based on what they saw. Writer of the film, Diablo Cody, defended the trailer by explaining that she was not responsible for the creation of the trailer. The advertisements show the warmer, more comedic parts of a film to sell tickets.

Spoilers started occurring in that by the film’s ending, we learn that the night nanny is a figment of the main character’s imagination. It appears that she has postpartum psychosis, which is a rare condition that affects one in a thousand mothers.

What Were the Complaints?

People who saw the movie wished that there could have been a trigger warning before the film as mothers who experienced severe anxiety after their pregnancy felt triggered by it. There were also complaints that the film does not show the main character going into treatment. Neither she nor her special-needs son gets the treatment they need. Cody defended that complaint in saying that the film is about the lack of treatment there is and hopes that this film will open up discussions about how dangerous motherhood can be on someone’s mental health.

Unfortunately, Cody did not speak to experts on maternal mental illness when writing this film and only relied on research and her own experiences of motherhood. However, Cody hopes more movies are made regarding postpartum depression to tell more stories.

Choose Bayview Recovery Today

Today there is little to no treatment for postpartum depression. As a result, many women find themselves turning to substances to treat their stress and anxiety. If you are struggling with addiction due to postpartum depression, don’t wait. There is hope. Contact Bayview Recovery Center today. Together, we can treat a variety of addictions, through programs such as:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavioral therapy
• Trauma therapy
• Yoga therapy
• Life skill training therapy program

Our facility is in Tacoma, Washington. Our mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat many substance abuse disorders. We also treat anxiety and depression. For more information, please call us today at 855.478.3650. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Get the treatment you need today.