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Hayden Panettiere and the silence that surrounds maternal depression

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I saw Hayden Panettiere in May at what would become her last Los Angeles book event, a conversation about her bestselling memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” moderated by podcast host Alyshia Ochse.

Hayden was disarmingly candid about her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction, conditions that had become painfully intertwined in her life.

She spoke about losing custody of her daughter, the death of her younger brother, and the end of her marriage. Her voice shook at times. But she sounded hopeful. Strong. Like a woman who had finally found her footing.

She was determined to tell her story, she said, so that others struggling with postpartum depression, trauma and addiction might feel less alone and perhaps find the courage to ask for help.

Three months later, Hayden is dead at 36. 

Her cause of death has not yet been determined. 

The toxicology report has not been made public. But I fear it will show that Hayden died by accidental or intentional overdose, the two leading causes of death from complications of postpartum depression and anxiety.

For those of us who have survived postpartum depression, her death is especially painful because we know how dangerous maternal mental illness can become — and how many women still suffer without adequate help.

Consider this staggering fact: Complications of postpartum depression and anxiety are now the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, they account for 27.7% of........

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