Postpartum Depression In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

“The Yellow Wallpaper”, a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, whose purpose of writing this story was to “to prevent medical practitioners from prescribing "the rest cure for hysterical patients.”(Feldstein) The story is about a young mother who experiences with postpartum depression. While the narrator is clearly suffering from a kind of psychological distress at the beginning of the story, her mental state is worsened by her husband's medical opinion that she confines herself to the house. Using the story and other research we can now see how the treatment for postpartum depression has improve and change over the years.
Postpartum depression
After using the term of “the rest cure”, a long time researchers found that the birth
Neurasthenia was first described in 1869 as a disease characterized by depression, extreme anxiety, and fatigue. Although doctors did not know exactly what caused this illness they believe new mothers can have a greater chance of having this illness. Her fatigue and depression correspond closely to the symptoms of neurasthenia. Postpartum depression is a clinical depression which can affect both sexes after childbirth and have similar symptoms to neurasthenia. This cure was always prescribed to women, many of who were suffering from depression especially postpartum depression. In the story the narrator is a new mother suffering from depression. Her controlling husband, John, confines her to a nursery in hopes that “rest cure” will restore her to health. The narrator just like many new mothers could have been suffering for a mild depression that happened when they gave birth such as the postpartum depression. That can lead to a bigger depression but with good environment and treatment it can be cured.
Suffering from depression
There are a large number of women around the world who are currently suffering from the Postpartum Depression and treating by the process of rest cure. The narrator mentions how they are multiple women behind bars in the wallpaper. The narrator may be talking about all the women’s suffering and feeling as they are in a prison just like she feels. This women’s
and Grimm, Laurence. "Postpartum depression." Psychology & Behavioral Health. Ed. Paul Moglia. Hackensack: Salem, 2015. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. .
"Analysis: Effects of postpartum depression." Talk of the Nation 26 June 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
Overview: 'The Yellow Wallpaper'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

Feldstein, Richard. "Reader, Text, and Ambiguous Referentiality in 'The Yellow Wall-Paper.'." The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on "The Yellow Wallpaper". Ed. Catherine
Gilman, charlotte “The Yellow Wallpaper” Literature an introduction to reading and