Beyond The Baby Blues

On average, 11 to 20 percent of women who give birth each year have postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms, which means that approximately 600,000 women in the United States alone suffer from PPD.

PPD extends beyond the baby blues, which lasts only a few days to a week or two after the baby is born. Symptoms for postpartum baby blues include mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, reduced concentration, lack of appetite and trouble sleeping.

At first PPD might be mistaken for a case of the baby blues, but the symptoms of PPD are much more extreme, last longer and can actually interfere with your ability to care for your baby. Symptoms usually develop within the first few weeks of giving birth but can begin up to six months after birth.

PPD symptoms include depressed mood or severe mood swings, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawing from family and friends or activities you enjoy, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, fatigue, intense irritability or anger, feeling like you’re not a good mother, inability to think clearly and thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. New mothers often suffer from PPD due to hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone levels and the psychological adjustment to motherhood, including sleep deprivation and fears of caring for a newborn. The risk of PPD increases if the mother has a history of depression or bipolar disorder, had PPD after a previous pregnancy, has family members who have had depression, has difficulty breast-feeding, has problems in the relationship with her spouse or partner or if the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted.

New Recommendations For Diagnosing PPD

The U.S Preventive Services Task Force has offered new recommendations on how doctors should diagnose PPD and which doctors should screen for it. According to the new recommendations, primary care physicians, including family doctors, gynecologists and obstetricians, should now perform depression screenings at least once for all adult patients. Different from recommendations made in 2009, now everyone 18 and older should be screened, not just those who are at risk for depression, and individuals should be screened during a regular checkup, not only at appointments or clinics related to mental health.

These new recommendations include additional groups of people considered at risk. Primary care doctors are suggested to screen all women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, two groups not previously included. This is significant because only 15 percent of women with PPD ever receive professional treatment for their disorder.

The depression screening is given to patients either on paper or electronically while they wait to see a doctor. The test, called the Patient Health Questionnaire, has been shown to effectively identify those who are at risk for depression. The test asks patients about mood, concentration, fatigue, appetite and whether they have been interested in activities. It also asks whether they have thought about hurting themselves or their child in the last two weeks.

If the test reveals that a patient is at risk for depression, the doctor should perform a more thorough evaluation to determine how best to treat the depression. The task force recommends a seven-question test as an alternative for screening the general population when screening women who might be at risk for PPD.

PPD Support

Support for PPD is now more widely available and acceptable as part of a branch of mental health care. Primary care doctors are trained to identify new mothers with depression and know how to treat them, such as the use of antidepressants or referring women to a mental health care provider for therapy.

PPD isn’t easily or quickly overcome, but it’s far from impossible. It’s a disease, so there’s no way to will connect with other new moms and take time for yourself. yourself to snap out of it. Treatments vary, but PPD is usually treated with mental health counseling, medication or, sometimes, both.

Another way to slowly start to feel more like yourself is by exercising. Exercise releases feel-good chemicals that may ease or reduce the symptoms of depression as well as improve your immune system. Increasing your body temperature with physical activity may have a calming effect, which might take your mind off of thoughts that depression creates.

Although PPD usually requires treatment by a doctor, once you start feeling more like yourself, there are certain ways to aid your recovery. It’s important to start small, stay focused on small goals and surround yourself with positive people. PPD often makes its victims feel isolated or uninterested in doing activities they used to enjoy, so symptoms can improve by keeping positive company who can supply lots of comfort. Supportive friends and family can make you feel loved and appreciated when your depression makes you think otherwise. It’s important to get lots of rest, accept help from family members,

Points To Remember

PPD is a disease that requires treatment by a doctor or mental health provider. There is no shame in admitting that you have PPD and that you need help. With appropriate treatment, PPD usually goes away within six months, but it’s important to continue treatments even after you start to feel better.

If you’re experiencing the symptoms of PPD, although it might be embarrassing, call your doctor to schedule an appointment. If you have thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, get help immediately by calling 911. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255