37-year-old woman arrested for beating 4-month-old daughter

this woman need treatment before getting close to the 4 months old again, no risk to baby's life.

How in the world can anyone beat a baby? I just can´t wrap my head around what these people are thinking.

Is there much awareness/education about postpartum depression/postpartum psychosis here in Japan? I hear that they are very good with medical checks and baby education throughout the pregnancy here, but when you keep seeing incidents like this on the news it makes me wonder if postpartum depression is quite common.

as a father of two, i know exactly why some parents do this. babies aren't cuddly and cute 24/7. some cry incessantly, act out, scream, yell and bite. and they can do this for a verrrrrry long time. you can mentally prepare yourself to deal with this before the baby is born, but when this does happen it can cause some parents to lose it. so before castigating her for being a monster, look at it from her shoes. she probably needs either physical or mental help.

Sick ..

That is true Nakanoguy...I'm sure she didn't do it out of boredom and she lost it...but it doesn't change the fact that she's a monster for beating a 4-month-old.

Kids are like angels. How can someone even have the nerve to beat them?

I simply don't understand.

I am sooooo glad many of the posters here aren't involved in any way, shape, or form with the formulation of public policy issues like mental health.

The only positive thing in of all of this is that she did not kill the child. What happens with her and her family next can only be guessed at, but if even a fraction of the officials involved in the case demonstrate the same sort of casual indifference to mental health issues that some here have, then I'm not optimistic about their future.

I hurt to hear/read about stories like this! The baby has no idea of the reason for what's going on as to why is this person who is supposed to be taking care of me is inflicting pain upon me. Perhaps the mother is struggling with depression after birth.

"Kids are like angels. How can someone even have the nerve to beat them?"

It is exactly because the four-month old baby is an ANGEL that this 37-YEAR-OLD UNEMPLOYED woman has realized that her lifetime of selfishness has turned her into a DEMON.

Do you understand now?

Plenty of women with PPD do not abuse their children. No excuse.

What I find puzzling about cases like this, in Japan, is how many of them involve mature married mothers with good social and personal support systems. Where I come from, child abuse is typically (but not always) associated with young, unmarried and unsupported girls and/or their boyfriends. But this particular mother, like so many I read of in Japan, didn't fit into the high risk category at all. She was 37, married, and staying with her own mother, which meant that she was reasonably mature, had a stable income, and was being supported by the people around her. I can only conclude that she was mentally ill.

Hope it works out for the family.

Anonymous Jones,

. . . but it doesn't change the fact that she's a monster for beating a 4-month-old.

And I reiterate my original point. You also clearly have no idea what postpartum depression actually entails. It's a real and very frightening psychological condition that affects women all around the world and can manifest itself in a range of ways from posterpartum Blues, better known as "the baby blues," to postpartum depression, involving all the things the clinical depression does, including crying for no apparent reason, having difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawal from family and friends, insomnia, overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy, intense irritability and anger, unfounded fear that you're not a good mother, and feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy.

The there's something called postpartum psychosis. It can result in confusion, disorientation, obsessive thoughts about your baby, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and, yes, attempts to harm yourself or your baby.

You and posters like Mr. Cricton toss around these flippant comments that are akin to, "Yeah, yeah. Postpartum depression. Right. {eye roll}. But who would do such a horrific thing to a baby?"

But that's precisely the point. Mothers suffering from postpartum depression don't behave rationally. Which is why it's considered a medical condition in need of professional help.

You add nothing to the conversation by saying, "Yeah, I'm sure this woman didn't do it it out of boredom, but what a monster!" All it demonstrates is that you are woefully out of your depth on the subject and shockingly short of empathy in your rush to judge others.

Take a moment to educate yourself.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/basics/symptoms/con-20029130

Is there much awareness/education about postpartum depression/postpartum psychosis here in Japan?

Yes. For example, it's a topic that comes up fairly frequently on television. There are various private and local government programs to help troubled women.

Is there much awareness/education about postpartum depression/postpartum psychosis here in Japan?

Yes. When my wife as pregnant, she went to ママの教室 (mamas' classroom), a free thing put on by the city once a month. The fathers were also periodically invited. They talked about PP (マターニティブルー) to both the fathers and the mothers.

Plenty of women with PPD do not abuse their children.

This comment suggest your don't have a really clear understanding of what postpartum depression actually entails for some women.

Nope! Don't care about what excuse this woman has. "Oh, she had this mental issue."

I really don't care. Bottom line, YOU BEAT A BABY because she lost control. My empathy lies with the victim.

Putting aside the depression issue, if you can't imagine how someone could beat a baby you simply don't know enough about the world or human beings in general. We have been beating, raping, torturing and killing each other for centuries. No amount of "evolution", education or technological advance will ever change this.