Actress and mother of two Brooke Shields recently spoke during a news conference on Capitol Hill in favor of proposing legislation that would federally fund postpartum education, detection and treatment.

This is not a surprising next step for the actress who has been quite outspoken about the devastation that postpartum depression can have on a new mother and her family.

Shields suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her first child and wrote a book about how the disorder caused unexpected havoc in the life of her family.

She was also publicly criticized by actor and Scientologist Tom Cruise for using antidepressants to treat her postpartum depression. Since then, Cruise and Shields apparently have agreed to disagree and remain on good terms.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, shown on ABC's Sunday news show "This Week", Shields said, "There is an entire population of women suffering...And it's time, I believe, for Congress to step in and prevent that, and actually save lives and save potential tragedy."

Putting a celebrity face and voice on a cause has always been great publicity for a number of disorders, diseases, and epidemics; so this is great news for those of us who know just how disruptive and destructive postpartum depression can be.

Once the discussion begins - the door opens for more conversation about postpartum depression which hopefully will result in validation and hope for all new mothers.

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Lisa Angelettie, "GirlShrink" is an online advice authority. Her site GirlShrink.com is the #1 "Advice & Counseling" site on the web and contributing author of "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life". Instantly get a FREE Bonus when you sign up for her free Better Choices Ezine. Please visit us for more discussion on this topic in the depression forum to talk about it further. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for topics in the news, new articles, website & book reviews, and other useful mental health resources. Subscribe below.