Post Partum Depression
Postpartum is a condition suffered by women who have either just recently given birth, or their child may even be 12 to 18 months old before post partum surfaces. Post Partum is considered to be a type of major depression, and there are a number of ways it can be treated. 70% of women who have given birth suffer from some level of postpartum depression, with some experiencing mild symptoms and others much more severe. The symptoms of post partum or post natal may only last for hours or a few days, but for some women the symptoms may last for much longer, in which case will need treatment. Women suffering from post partum may be irritable, unable to concentrate; they may feel down and cry for no reason. Other symptoms include loss of sleep, headaches and a general loss of interest in activities.
Diagnosis for postpartum is similar to diagnosis other forms of depression. The main difference is that with post partum is the timing, in that it usually surfaces after giving birth and sometimes may even appear while pregnant. Women with low self esteem are at a higher risk of developing perinatal or post partum depression. Other contributing factors may include having suffered from in the past, your support system - single mothers may find motherhood harder not having the father’s support, also hormone changes due to pregnancy and birth may contribute to depression.
Becoming pregnant can be such a joy for the soon to be parents, and it can be hard to accept that such a joyful occasion can then bring you down and into depression. The thought of this alone can spiral a women into even more depression, thinking bad about them that they are sad at a time of their life when they should be the happiest.
There are a lot of adjustments to your lifestyle when becoming a parent and quite often you don't think about these adjustments until they start to happen. As a mother, you have a whole new life that you are responsible for and you must adjust your life in a way that will benefit your child. Mothers are more than happy to do this for their child, but whether happy or not it can still be hard. Motherhood in general is probably the hardest job in the world, its not just a job you go to at 9am and finish at 5pm, its a 24 hour a day job and its more personal, your whole life is dedicated to this job.
This can be very tiring and then if you get a baby that doesn't sleep too well, then its even more tiring and without your sleep it can be easy to slip into depression. It is believed that some of these radical changes that are needed to support the new infant may play a role in the development of post partum depression.
Although very rare, a few women may develop extreme forms of post partum which can lead to delusions or other severe mental health problems. This is very rare with only about 0.1% of women experiencing this, and most women only have moderate forms of the disorder.
Women that suffer from post partum need to visit their doctor to get the correct treatment needed. It is advised to receive treatment for the mothers own benefit as well as the child’s. It is also very beneficial if you have the support of family to help you through this rough time and give you a quicker recovery.
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