The Cradle Will Fall [Paperback]

Carl S. Burak (Author), Michele G. Remington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

Follows the personal story of Michele Remington, whose severe postpartum depression led to her murder of her infant son and a failed suicide attempt, in a firsthand account of a woman's decent into depression and insanity. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Each year, an estimated two million new mothers experience postpartum depression (PPD), commonly known as the "baby blues." Four thousand are sufficiently affected to be a danger to themselves and to their infants. Vermont resident Remington, whose story was featured on Donahue , was one of these. Though her pregnancy was desired, she began to have difficulty during her last trimester. After a traumatic delivery resulting in her son's hospitalization, Remington became increasingly depressed, and when her baby came home, she had no interest in caring for him. Despite supportive family and friends, her depression worsened, culminating in her killing her son and inflicting a near-fatal gunshot on herself. This account, written with Burak, the state psychiatrist who testified in court on the author's behalf and treated her for seven years, is a disturbing portrait of severe PPD. Remington's experience should serve as an alert to those who would shrug off PPD as mere baby blues.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In 1987, while suffering from severe postpartum depression, Remington fatally shot her infant son and then attempted to kill herself. The events leading up to and following this tragedy are examined through recreated dialogs, flashbacks, and observations by state psychiatrist and coauthor Burak, who began treating her directly after the murder. Unfortunately, the many minute and often insignificant details retold here make for tedious reading. The authors indicate that they hope to help others through the postpartum period, which is "considered the most vulnerable time in a woman's life for major mental illness." However, the book's focus on one woman's extreme emotional reactions provides little guidance on how to recognize, control, or prevent psychotic depression after a delivery. A marginal purchase.
Ilse Heidmann Ali, Kyle Community Lib., Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (Mm) (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843939346
• ISBN-13: 978-0843939347
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,293,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cradle will fall, March 15, 2001

By 

tracy golder (bloomsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cradle Will Fall (Hardcover)

this is an honest book about one woman's battle with postpartum depression. i commend her honesty and want to thank you for sharing her story with the world. i, too, suffer from a severe postpartum depression, with psychotic features. this has been the hardest and most difficult time of my life. alot of the feelings that michelle had experienced were right on. many people do not understand the extent that this problem brings about. it is probably the most underdiagnosed problem in the medical field. motherhood is not always a joyous time, even though we all have perfect visions of it in our minds. this woman was very courageous for sharing her story. i am sure that she will never forgive herself for what she did, she will probably only gain strength from survivng day to day. thank you for sharing your story. you have certainly brought awareness to such a tragic medical problem.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping true story of the tragic effects of depression, February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cradle Will Fall (Paperback)

The Cradle Will Fall is co-authored by Dr. Carl S. Burak, MD, LLD and the pseudonymous Michele Remington, a real patient of Dr. Burak's practice of psychiatric medicine.

Michele's story of post-partum depression should be read by any expectant mother with a family history of depression or any physician who has a family practice or an ob/gyn specialty.

Dr. Burak has practiced psychiatric medicine for many years. In his early medical career he practiced in family practice, tribal medicine, and sports medicine. He writes with a conversational style which will draw you in to the story of Michele and her family and will rivet your attention from the first page to the last.

In the process you'll learn a great deal about the symptoms, treatment and hope for patients with clinical depression whose own doctors (or primary care physicians in HMO-speak)may know little or nothing about the devastating effects of an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.