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PPD Paper Section
Postpartum Depression
Whenever a new baby is born into the world it usually calls for celebration and joy. After months of toils, adjustments, and hope a new family is created and a future is made. A dream becomes reality, and a woman becomes a mother. As exciting as this new development may seem, people usually do not think about the ‘after’. Everyone usually focuses their attention on the baby but who is paying attention to the mother? With newfound motherhood comes new responsibilities and in a lot of cases: new complications.
These complications are referred to as ‘Postpartum Complications. These are alarming issues that arise immediately or sometimes weeks after a woman gives birth to her child. Common Postpartum complications include excessive bleeding, hair loss, discomfort during sex, vaginal pain, stroke, high blood pressure, etc. There are several disorders that may form shortly after a woman gives birth but the one that will be discussed in this paper is Postpartum depression.
“Postpartum depression (PPD) is a complex mix of physical, emotional, and behavioural changes that happen in some women after giving birth. According to the DSM-5, a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, PPD is a form of major depression that begins within 4 weeks after delivery.” (WebMD). This form of depression is commonly linked by chemical, social, and psychological changes that occur throughout the body after pregnancy. There is a drop in the hormone balance in the body and this may be linked to trigger depression (or low moods and energy levels).
According to WebMD: “Most new mothers experience the "baby blues" after delivery. About 1 out of every 10 of these women will develop a more severe and longer-lasting depression after delivery. About 1 in 1,000 women develop a more serious condition called postpartum psychosis.” That is a lot of new mothers who are suffering complex situations that can damage their mental health. Even fathers aren’t spared from PPD as 1 in 10 newly made fathers go into depression the same year their child is born.
Fortunately, PPD can be detected earlier on due to its conspicuous signs and symptoms. Some of these symptoms include trouble sleeping, changes in appetite, severe fatigue, feeling uninterested in your baby and detached from them, lower libido, a feeling of depression and low moods, crying all the time, among others. When these signs show up, it is vital that the new mother takes up counselling and therapy to help cope with PPD.
Postpartum depression is not something that the mother caused herself and it is not anything the mother did personally to manifest. PPD is brought into a mother’s life almost naturally and from multiple factors which includes: A history of depression prior to becoming pregnant, or during pregnancy, the age at time of pregnancy (the younger you are, the higher the chances), ambivalence about the pregnancy, children (the more you have, the more likely you are to be depressed in a later pregnancy), family history of mood disorders, going, through an extremely stressful event, like a job loss or health crisis, having twins or triplets, etc.
There are other common forms of Postpartum Depression, and they are: Baby blues and Postpartum Psychosis.
Baby blues involves having sudden mood swings, for instance you may feel very happy in one moment and very sad the next. You may cry a lot for no apparent reason and tend to feel very cranky, impatient, lonely, anxious, and sad. Baby blues may last anywhere from a few hours to two weeks after giving birth. WebMD states that 70% of women will experience baby blues right after childbirth occurs.
Postpartum Psychosis is a serious mental disorder that new mothers are predisposed to getting. It usually happens within the first three months after childbirth. Some new mothers can ‘lose touch’ with reality, have in-depth hallucinations, strong delusions, and insomnia. The woman practically has a never-ending sensory trip, and her brain plays tricks on her concept of what is real and what is made up. Women who suffer from postpartum are advised and encouraged to check into a hospital and receive medication and counselling because they can become a threat to themselves or others.
As damaging and frightening PPD may seem, there is a treatment for the disorder. Postpartum depression is treated depending on the type of signs being displayed and the severity of them. Some treatments involve antidepressants, psychotherapy, and support groups. Some severe cases of PPD will require an IV of a medication called Zulresso (Brexanolone) to be prescribed. In the case of postpartum psychosis, drugs used to treat psychosis are usually added. Hospital admission is also often necessary.
RESOURCES:
- https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/postpartum-depression
