Postpartum Depression ( Ppd )

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbearing with an estimated prevalence of 19.2% in the first three months after delivery (1). Depressive episodes (major and mild) may be experienced by approximately half of women during the first postpartum year (1). Characterized by depressed mood, loss of pleasure or interest in daily activities, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, irritability, sleep and eating disturbances (2), its etiology is multi-faceted and complex (3;4).

Postpartum psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, has become the most underdiagnosed complication in the United States. It can lead to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development (Earls, 2010). Over 400,000 infants are born to mothers that are depressed. One of 7 new mothers (14.5%) experience depressive episodes that impair maternal role function. An episode of major or minor depression that occurs during pregnancy or the first 12 months after birth is called perinatal or postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers & Sit, 2006). Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others (Postpartum Depression). The six stages of postpartum are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and PTSD. These stages may affect any women regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status. However only a physician can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. It does not occur because of something a mother does or does not do, it’s a combination of physical and emotional factors. After childbirth, the levels of hormones in a woman’s body quickly drop; which may lead to chemical changes in her brain (Postpartum Depression). Unbalanced hormones may trigger mood swings.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 20 people suffer from depression (2014). Although widely recognized and somewhat easy to diagnose, depression is an ignored and almost hidden, disease. In women, the statistics are especially grim for those who are pregnant or were recently pregnant. A great number of women suffer from postpartum depression; an illness which is often overlooked, misdiagnosed and untreated. Postpartum depression (PPD) has been defined as an emotional disorder that occurs in an estimated 10-15% of all women after childbirth (Liberto, 2010). Postpartum depression not only impacts the mother, but can cause long-term psychological challenges for the baby and create emotional turmoil for all family members.

Postpartum depression in a common experience for newer mothers to have after childbirth. It is meant to last only a few days but can extend for a few months if it is severe. It is thought that it is caused by extreme hormonal shifts in the body after childbirth. If not treated in time, it has a potential chance harm the mother or the child. It is important that the mother feels appreciated and respected during this time. This article will help by giving further information in postpartum depression and further help the claims of how gender roles can further depression.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major event occurring in eight to fifteen percent of the woman population after delivering their child (Glavin, Smith, Sørum & Ellefsen, 2010). The symptoms and causes of PPD are similar to depression symptoms in other periods of life (Glavin et al., 2010). These symptoms may include feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, loss of interest in daily activities, sleep changes, anger or irritability, loss of energy, self-loathing, reckless behavior and concentration problems. These symptoms may lead to other factors that are detrimental to the child bearing and rearing family.

According to the CDC, current research shows that postpartum depression (PPD) is a complication that effects 1-8 women after they give birth. It is when the mother experiences depression after giving birth that is the result of hormone changes, adjustments to motherhood and fatigue. It is one of the most common diseases after the mother gives birth and is often underdiagnosed and overlooked. PPD can cause complication that not only affect the mother but also the baby by breaking the mother-infant bond. PPD can lead to a lack of social and emotional support to the baby during its critical period of life according to the CDC. There are experiences that put some women at higher risks for developing postpartum depression than others women. Some risk factors discussed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are low social supports, stress, culture, multiple births, and economic standings. Some of these risk factors are shown in case A which involves a Latino family that includes a father that is 31 years in age, mother who is 30 years of age, a 5-year-old son and an 8 -week old daughter. The main idea of this case was that the mother was starting to develop postpartum depression after the birth of her last daughter.

While often misdiagnosed as minor depression or as a bipolar or schizophenic eposide, when diagnosed and treated correctly, postpartum major depression is successfully treatable in eighty to ninety percent of women. Some of the symptoms of postpartum major depression include a loss of appetite or overeating, loss of feeling joy and happiness, guilt, loss of interest in the baby, and even thoughts of death. Doctors recommend that mothers seek help if the aforementioned symptoms do not fade after two weeks or are getting worse, if your symptoms make it harder for you to care for your baby or to complete everyday tasks, or include thoughts of harming yourself or the baby. Treatment for a woman who has been properly diagnosed with postpartum major depression generally will include psychotherapy, group therapy or possibly some other form of counseling and in some cases medication with the main concern about medication stemming from the mother-child breastfeeding relationship. Counseling, both one on one and in a group of other women experiencing the same problems, helps the mother find ways of coping, solving problems, and setting achievable goals. At times, family or maritial counseling is also recommended. Some of the medications prescribed for postpartum depression include selective serotonin reuptale inhibitors and tricyclics with tricyclics having more severe side effects to the mother. Both types of medications have minimal risks to the

The late onset of postpartum depression is a most severe case that lead to impaired the maternal function and can be life- threatening. The symptoms begin to peak at 2 to 6 months after the delivery which involve feeling of sadness, depression, lack of energy, chronic fatigue, inability to sleep and difficult caring for the baby. Many of the mother’s will delay treatment or seek for some counseling because they are afraid that they will be judge as a bad mother for not being able to take care of the baby. “As many as 14.5% of postpartum women may experience a new episode within 3 months after delievery”( Conside). Is important to be aware of the symptoms to be able to identify them and provide treatment. In most cases the women may present with mild symptoms but 10 to 15 % will

Only in recent history have significant strides been made to understand and treat postpartum depression. While the psychiatric disorder was written as long ago as 700 BC, by Hippocrates, it was not officially recognized as a medical diagnosis until the nineteenth century. Even in today’s society, individuals tend to harbor ill feelings toward postpartum depression, likely due to cultural beliefs and miseducation. According to the U.S National library of medicine postpartum depression is “moderate to severe depression in a woman after she has given birth, occurring soon after delivery or up to a year later”, (U.S National Library of Medicine, 2014). Women have been most widely identified as being impacted by postpartum depression, and for decades, research has focused on them, with limited data related to males. However, recent studies focusing on male postpartum depression, not only prove that men are affected by the disorder; potentially to the same extent as women, but also suggest that there is a likely correlation between either parent having the condition, and it consequently affecting both parents. Recent studies have found that, “prenatal and postpartum depression was evident in about 10% of men in the reviewed studies and was relatively higher in the 3- to 6-month postpartum period. Paternal depression also showed a moderate positive correlation with maternal depression” (Paulson and Bazemore, 2010, p. 1961). Given this

The negative impact of postpartum depression is often correlated with a history of childhood abuse to the mother, which translates into abusive behaviors after the child is born. These incidents of psychological and physical violence can occur in the mother’s own childhood development, or they can occur due to abusive relationship with males. For instance, intimate partner violence has become factor in the psychological history of the female, which defines an important part of the impact of child abuse in relation to postpartum depression:

It’s common for women to experience the “baby blues” — feeling stressed, sad, anxious, lonely, tired or weepy — following their baby’s birth. But some women, up to 1 in 7, experience a much more serious mood disorder — postpartum depression. (Postpartum psychosis, a condition that may involve psychotic symptoms like delusions or hallucinations, is a different disorder and is very rare.) Unlike the baby blues, PPD doesn’t go away on its own. It can appear days or even months after delivering a baby; it can last for many weeks or months if left untreated. PPD can make it hard for you to get through the day, and it can affect your ability to take care of your baby, or yourself. PPD can affect any woman—women with easy pregnancies or problem pregnancies,

The birth of a baby can generate powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety. But it can also result in something unexpected, depression. Postpartum depression affects approximately 10-15% of women and impairs mother-infant interactions that in turn are important for child development. Postpartum depression is sometimes mistaken for baby blues, but the signs and symptoms are more intense and last longer, eventually interfering with a mother’s ability to care for the baby and handle other daily tasks. Symptoms usually develop within the first few weeks after giving birth, but may begin later and up to six months after birth. Postpartum depression isn 't a character flaw or a weakness, it 's simply a complication of giving birth. More than half of all mothers experience a period of “baby blues” in the first few weeks after delivery, when they feel significant sadness, exhaustion, fear, and mood instability. More often than not, this experience resolves on its own, especially in the presence of good social supports. Nevertheless, there are times when the “baby blues” don’t go away in just a few weeks and it sometimes progresses into an episode of major depression, with more severe and more persistent symptoms. As many as 1 of every 8 mothers are reported to develop an episode of major depression in the month immediately following delivery, though the Diagnostic and

Postpartum depression is a condition that differs from general depression for its different symptoms, and is associated with childbirth only, which allows it to be separated from the depression that may affect a woman at any other time.

Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that causes extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion. The main cause of postpartum depression is believed to arise from the drastic change of hormones in the mother's body. After giving birth the production of estrogen and progesterone, the pregnancy hormone, is quickly stopped. The drop of progesterone can lead to chemical changes in the brain that may cause mood swings. Another cause of postpartum depression is the inadequate amount of sleep the mother gets. Sleep is essential for everyone but especially a mother that just gave birth. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Constant sleep deprivation can lead to physical discomfort and exhaustion…” (National Institute of Mental Health

Mothers who have brought into this world a blessing have been preparing themselves for a big change in their life. They have been learning and educating themselves about how to be a good mother. Many mothers find it really hard to transition from being an independent woman without children to becoming a mother (Corrigan, Kwasky, & Groh, 2015). Adapting to motherhood can be a drastic change, and usually creates challenges that lead to feeling overwhelmed (Leger & Letourneau, 2015). When a newly mother begins experiencing stress or becomes emotional then there can be a possibility that they can encounter Postpartum Depression (Leger et al., 2015). Postpartum depression can be seen and experienced in many different ways, it all varies on every mother (Corrigan et al., 2015). Many different mental health issues can be seen including baby blues, postpartum depression, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the most serious, postpartum psychosis (Tam & Leslie, 2001).