It can take a long time for some mothers suffering from postpartum mood disorders to seek help.

     One woman who attends a PSI of WA support group in Puyallup waited until her daughter was six months old.

     "I was depressed and down and having really bad thoughts about harming myself and my baby. I thought it would go away," she said.

     When it didn't, she called her doctor. She also started attending the support group, and eventually a psychiatrist put her on the right medication for her postpartum psychosis.

     She no longer has frightening thoughts about herself or her baby, but she keeps going to the support group because she wants to give other mothers hope.

     When she first started attending, "the biggest thing was that there was hope," she said.

     "These were beautiful, normal, functional people, and it gave me hope. You want to think that if you go through something, there's a reason for it. I've finally gotten hope and can say, 'Look where I was and look where I am now.'"

     Most women come when their children are still infants, but occasionally someone who has suffered from a postpartum mood disorder for a year or longer will arrive for her first meeting because she is just beginning to seek care.

     Kathleen Pantoja, who co-facilitates a support group, said many mothers are there to learn more about postpartum mood disorders and treatment. "They learn stress management techniques, communication skills and life planning skills," she said.

     Facilitating a group helps Pantoja with her own recovery from a postpartum mood disorder in 2006, she said. "We don't often talk about long-term recovery, but this helps me look back and absorb that traumatic experience in my life."

     Most important, she said, is the women's increased perception of what healthy behaviors are and what well-being is.

     "If one person shares that she's engaging in self-help, like 15 minutes a day of walking outside with the baby or calling the warm line in a moment of stress, sharing that success helps model the behavior for others," she said.

     Women have thanked Pantoja for saving their lives by sharing her story. It gives them hope, which they transfer to other women in the support group.

     Sometimes only one person shows up, which can be awkward for a newcomer. One woman who regularly attends the Puyallup support group said she was worried when she was the only person at her first meeting.

     "I thought, 'Great, I am the only one,'" she said. "When people started showing up, I thought they functioned and looked normal, and it gave me hope that maybe people think I'm normal too."

     Groups often have four to six regular attendees.

     Some women do not want to talk much when they first start going to a support group.

     "It's a huge success to be able to just get out of the house, go into a room and not feel alone," Pantoja said. "We let them know that's okay, if they just need to absorb a healthy environment with other women."

     "Women experiencing postpartum mood disorders can feel so incredibly isolated and alone that it sometimes takes a while for them to just feel safe in an environment," she said. "I like to recognize that and give them that time."

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PSI of WA is a non-profit organization that provides personal support for women with postpartum mood disorders and their families. It strives to educate the public, families and health care practitioners about the nature and management of these disorders through conferences, networking and special publications.

     Benefits of membership include: Quarterly e- newsletters, opportunities to network with professionals in related fields, ability for qualified Professional Members to be listed in a directory that is sent to agencies statewide, used by volunteers on the phone support line and posted on PSI of WA's web site.

     Membership is available at two levels: Professional ($100/year) and Supporting ($50/year) and runs September through August. For more information, see www.ppmdsupport.com or leave a message at 888-404-PPMD (7763).