Tell Me All About Postpartum Depression

While celebrities like Brooke Shields have recently brought attention to the matter of postpartum depression, it has not always received the same attention that clinical depression has received throughout the years. 

Postpartum depression is a very serious problem and one that must be addressed for the health of the mother as well as the children.

There are many women who are affected with postpartum depression following childbirth. The majority of women experience some sort of baby blues following a pregnancy because of the significant shift in pregnancy hormones immediately following delivery.

Postpartum depression is a more extreme case of the baby blues; it is true clinical depression which, thankfully, affects a smaller number of new mothers. It is thought that perhaps postpartum depression may be hereditary in its nature and it is also believed that women who experience significant symptoms of PMS are more likely to develop postpartum depression.

Physicians believed there are many reasons that women experience postpartum depression. A few of those reasons include being a single parent, having had an episode of clinical depression in the past, already having a history of feelings of low self-esteem, and women who experience depression while they are pregnant.

While the reasons a woman develops post-partum depression can vary significantly the bottom line is that postpartum depression can quickly take hold of a new mother’s life, sometimes with tragic consequences.

When physicians treat a case of postpartum depression majority will use similar treatment plans as if treating a traditional case of clinical depression.

For example it will be important to ease some of the symptoms of postpartum depression, but it may also be necessary to use talk therapy along with antidepressants in order to completely remedy the case of postpartum depression. As for the treatment of clinical depression, postpartum depression is often treated with the use of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.

This class of medication works to keep the serotonin levels in the brain higher, which helps to induce feelings of happiness. Serotonin is a chemical found in the brain, a neurotransmitter that is used by the human body to help regulate our emotions.

One of the most serious problems of postpartum depression is that it can continue to spiral into a full-blown postpartum psychosis. A postpartum psychosis occurs when the new mother began as to feel completely out of touch with reality.

This psychosis typically occurs within two weeks following childbirth and should be seen as a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment. Unfortunately there are too many reports in the news these days of mothers harming their newborns as a result of postpartum depression and psychosis. Unless treated quickly and aggressively postpartum psychosis may linger for months.

One of the many challenges with mothers of newborns is the fact that they are paying so much attention to their newborns that their own health and well-being gets swept under the rug.

Postpartum depression must be addressed and taken seriously by not only the mother and the family but by your health care provider as well.