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By LAURA I. PIETRO Philipsburg Bureau Chief PHILADELPHIA It’s an illness people don’t want to talk about. That is one of the opi nions , on post partum depression expressed yesterday on a hiladelphia television show centered on the Sharon Comitz case and postpartum depresssion. Guests on WPVI’s A.M. Philadelphia live show included Lianne Scherr forensic social worker; Dr. Robert Sadoff, foren sic psychiatrist; Dr. Jack Greenspan, president of the hiladelphia Psychiatric Society; and Glenn Comitz, Sharon’s husband; Mrs. Comitz is serving an eight- to 20-year sentence at the state Cor rectional Institution at Muncy. She pleaded guil ty but mentally ill in the Jan. 3, 1985 death of her infant son Garrett. Dr. Sadoff, testifying for the defense at a sentencing hearing in 1985, said she _ suffered from severe post partum depression when the in fant was thrown into Black Bear Run on Jan. Q In a telephone _inter view with Mrs. Comitz recorded the day before the A.M. Philadelphia Show, co-hosts sity Kennedy and _ Lizabeth Starr asked Mrs. Comitz why she killed Garrett. She said what happened on Jan. 3 happened very quickly, it wasn’t pre planned. “IT had depression after Nichole, but not like this time,” she said, speaking of the difference between the circumstances when her first child was born and when Garrett was born. Because of the pro blems she said she felt she had caused her fami ly by the post partum epression after Nichole, Mrs. Comitz said she did not express to them the deep depression she suf fered after Garrett was born. “Instead of venting my frustration,’ she says, she tried to hold it all in. Mrs. Comitz said she and Glenn were advised after the birth of Nichole not to have another child for five years. “The timing was about right. The doctor knew I had nervous problems before; the doctor put me on a mild anti-depres sant,” she says. Dr. Sadoff said post partum depression ‘with psychosis hits one to three out of 1,000 women. Psychosis is defined at its most simplest as being out of touch with reality. Post partum depres sion, he said, is a condi tion that occurs during and following birth when a woman is experiencin hormonal, physiologica and emotional changes. Dr. ree antibles people are psychotic they do not do rational things. Part of post partum psychosis is to be para noid, he said, so the kid napping report made by mothers in some post partum cases is understandable since they think that if the baby is gone, someone took u s. Starr asked about the lack of empathy for post- partum depression cases. ‘‘Although people tend not to talk about it, it is widespread,’’ Dr. Greenspan said. He said there are three categories of post partum: depression: ePost partum blues, which hit 50 percent of all women and are short liv ed and mild. *More severe cases can become psychotic in one to three out of 1,000 women and can potential ly lead to suicide or infan ticide. eA major affective psychosis hits a smaller percentage of women. Signs of postpartum depression include: withdrawal, lack of bon ding between parent and child and talk about life being a nightmare. “' *~ Women susceptible in clude those with a histor of some emotional il lness, with other family members with pyschosis and with a history of manic depression related to the womb, leap episodes tism and related symbol ism. These should be red flags, Dr. Greenspan said. Dr. Sadoff said drown ing is often used as a means of killing the in fant because it is seen as a method that is not phys ically hurting the child and could also be a ritual Mr. Comitz said he is engaged in ‘an effort to have his wife’s prison sentence reduced because he knew her for nine years before Gar rett’s death and knew she was not the type of person in her normal frame of mind to harm a child. While the A.M. Philadelphia show was not seen in the Clearfield Centre County area, Mr. Comitz ‘said WPSX, Channel 3, University Park, will be taping a show on the Comitz case and post” partum’ on March 25 for showing ‘in April , Centre County’ District Attorney Ray Gricar was invited to take part in the ‘A.M. Philadelphia show but declined, ‘he said, because of the pending appeal of the sentence rs. Comitz will be rep resented by Philadelphia Attorney;Peter Goldberger in that ap peal. nd TV SHOW — Appearing ‘on the’ A.M. Philadelphia show featuring post partum depression and the Sharon Comitz case, are, from left, show co-hosts Wally Ken 7WHOTO BY LAURA PIETR nedy and Lizabeth Starr plus Glenn Comitz, Lianne Scherr, Dr. Robert Sadoff and Dr. Jack Greenspan.
Newspaper Details
Clearfield Progress
Clearfield, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Mar 19, 1986
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
James P.
USA 14 Jul 2026
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