The stigma of mental health - with or without support from family members and health professionals - often deters women from seeking help for their PPD. When medical help is achieved, some women find the diagnosis helpful and encourage a higher profile for PPD amongst the health professional community. Cultural beliefs
Postpartum depression can be influenced by sociocultural factors. There are many examples of particular cultures and societies that hold specific beliefs about PPD. Malay culture holds a belief in Hantu Meroyan; a spirit that resides in the placenta and amniotic fluid.When this spirit is unsatisfied and venting resentment, it causes the mother to experience frequent crying, loss of appetite, and trouble sleeping, known collectively as "sakit meroyan". The mother can be cured with the help of a shaman, who performs a séance to force the spirits to leave.Some cultures believe that the symptoms of postpartum depression or similar illnesses can be avoided through protective rituals in the period after birth. These may include offering structures of organized support, hygiene care, diet, rest, infant care, and breastfeeding instruction. The rituals appear to be most effective when the support is welcomed by the mother.Some Chinese women participate in a ritual that is known as "doing the month" (confinement) in which they spend the first 30 days after giving birth resting in bed, while the mother or mother-in-law takes care of domestic duties and childcare.
Lethal arthrogryposis with anterior horn cell disease (LAAHD)  is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by reduced mobility of the foetus and early death. Presentation
LAAHD resembles LCCS1 disease but the phenotype is milder, with survival beyond 32nd gestational week. However, the foetuses are often stillborn or survive only few minutes. The movements of the foetus during pregnancy are scanty and stiff, often only in upper limbs. The malpositions are distal. The inwards spiral and especially the elbow contractures are less severe than in LCCS1 disease. Some patients have intrauterine long bone fractures. Skeletal muscles are affected and show neurogenic atrophy. The size and shape of spinal cord at different levels are normal but anterior horn motoneurons are diminished in number and degenerated. Molecular genetics
LAAHD disease results from compound heterozygosity of GLE1FinMajor and a missense point mutation in exon 13 (6 cases in 3 families) or a missense mutation in exon 16 ( seven cases in 3 families). One of the latter cases survived 12 weeks, mostly under artificial respiration. Diagnosis
Treatment
Epidemiology
LAAHD is one of approximately 40 Finnish heritage diseases. Families affected by these diseases come from different parts of Finland, and birthplaces of the ancestors of affected individuals do not show geographic clustering. References


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