Tonight's episode of NBC sitcom Scrubs featured a surprisingly straightforward depiction of postpartum depression, as well as breastfeeding and lactation consultants. The character Carla has recently had a baby; her husband notices that she seems depressed, while she struggles with her feelings and insists that she'll be fine. A friend of the couple who is also a mother eventually convinces Carla that she needs to seek help. Carla and her husband are also shown meeting with lactation consultants, with Carla appearing as though attempting to breastfeed. While the breastfeeding scene was played for laughs (it is a comedy, after all), the postpartum depression issue was portrayed as a serious concern, and neither of these two topics is a common sight on network television. Additionally, the Carla character is a long-time nurse, and her husband is a surgeon; depicting medical professionals dealing with these problems in a serious manner normalizes the issues in a way rarely seen in television or film.
Last fall, CBS ran public service announcements on postpartum depression during the crime drama Cold Case.
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