Depression and Madea

 "I told you earlier how depressed I got, starting the day that I got pregnant. My postpartum depression stayed with me for forty-eight years, until the day Cora left home. People around me didn't know how bad it was. I tried to hide it. It was my biggest secret" (Perry 136). While taking on the outrageous and humorous character of Madea, Tyler Perry still manages to comment on very real experiences. For example, Perry constantly references mental health implications. 

On page 136 in the section "Depression", Perry speaks about postpartum depression and general depression. While Madea jokes about how she was depressed because she missed dancing on the poll, there is a bigger point to be made beneath all of the jokes. Mental health, specifically postpartum depression. Postpartum depression has been an entirely avoided topic as it's "unnatural" for a women to become depressed after childbirth. Women are supposed to be mothers and should be overjoyed after giving birth. Thus, it is looked down upon when a woman suffers after her pregnancy. Like suffering from regular depression it's seen as the elephant in the room and swept under the rug. As a individual who suffers from mental illness, Perry uses his humor to talk about situations like postpartum depression. By using humor, Perry makes "uncomfortable" topics more comfortable. As we have seen in past readings, humor allows for us to talk about things we may initially shy away from. Also, Perry is poking fun at society and the stigmatism around mental health. He is challenging us to talk about it because it is much more common than we think. 

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