Postpartum Depression and How to Get Over It
Another illness that you will only find in women is Postpartum Depression or PPD. It refers to the period immediately after childbirth. When a woman has symptoms of depression during this period, she is having postpartum depression, also known as postnatal depression. This emotional illness may include various symptoms like sadness, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, low energy, anxiety, and irritability.
Normally, the condition develops within 4 to 6 weeks after giving birth, but it can sometimes take several months to appear.
This kind of depression affects up to 15%-20% of new mothers. It may begin at any time in the first two to three months after giving birth. The mother feels sad or hopeless and sometimes guilty or worthless. She is unable to concentrate and unable to take any interest in anything, even the baby. In some cases, the mother may feel overwhelmed by the baby's needs and become intensely anxious. This may lead to persistent troubling thoughts or obsessions about the baby's well-being and compulsive repetitive actions. The mother may also feel very irritating as soon as they see her baby.
It is still not known why PPD happens. However, it does mean that she does not like her new born at all as she fears. The mother may have hallucinations, for example, hearing or smelling things that are not there or delusions such as false beliefs.
Researchers have found out reasons and they think biological changes contribute to these mood swings. In the weeks after delivery, significant changes occur in sex hormone levels and in the regulation of stress hormones. In postpartum depression, perhaps as a response to the hormonal shifts, there may be subtle changes in the parts of the brain that process emotion and in the brain regions responsible for managing social interactions.
Women with this disease sometimes grew tendency of committing suicide. They may also think about harming their child. Neither parents nor the infant are harmed in most cases, but having these thoughts can be frightening and distressing.
Depression is usually caused by emotional, stressful events, a biological change triggering an imbalance of brain chemicals, or both.
The following factors may contribute to PPD:
- excessive worry about the baby and the responsibilities of being a parent
- a complicated or difficult labour and childbirth
- lack of family support
- worries about relationships
- hormonal changes, due to a sudden and severe drop in estrogenic and progesterone levels following birth
- changes to the sleep cycle
- the physical changes of pregnancy
- loneliness, not having close friends and family around
- a history of mental health problems
- he health consequences of childbirth, including urinary incontinence, anaemia, pressure changes, and alterations in metabolism.
Treatment:
Usually, symptoms of postpartum depression last for few weeks before the condition is diagnosed. Without treatment, symptoms can last for months. With treatment, many women feel better within weeks. If you know someone going through postnatal depression, do suggest her to visit physicians, obstetrician/gynaecologists and paediatrician. They can cure her by asking questions about the mother’s quality of life.
Another most important thing is your family support. You need the support of your family around you who know that such a thing exists. Most of the time the new mother may not want to admit to having these symptoms, but the father/partner can encourage or urge her to seek help when needed. If the father or partner learns about the early warning signs of PPD during classes, he or she will be in a better position to assess and notice these changes and to encourage the new mother to seek help.
A number of psychotherapy techniques have also been proven helpful depending on the nature of the stress, the cause of the depression and personal preference. Every woman with postpartum depression needs support as well as education about depression. Various types of psychological therapy are available.
There are also antidepressants medicines given to PPD patients but it depends upon the doctor whether to prescribe it to the patient or not. Research says that, if you have a history of depression that your physician may not prescribe you antidepressants medicines. So, if you feel you are going through such depression, or someone you know is, do not waste time. Do rush to the obstetrician or gynaecologists.
