Recognizing Postpartum Depression — Types, Symptoms, and Treatment
The first few days after bringing a new little life into the world are an emotional roller coaster for new mothers. Moments of pure joy can quickly descend into melancholy, anxiety, and sadness. The emotional ups and downs are common and will most often disappear almost as quickly as they arrived.
Unfortunately, new mothers can sometimes slip into a depressive episode that stubbornly persists well beyond the first couple of weeks and may even last several months.
It’s an often debilitating emotional state referred to as postpartum depression.
What is Postpartum Depression?
For most mothers, a new baby is a joyous time in their life. Naturally, pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for a baby take their toll, so it’s quite common for moms to slip into occasional bouts of the “baby blues.”
It’s perfectly natural for mothers to have these feelings, and while some symptoms sound similar to postpartum depression, they are not entirely the same.
Postpartum depression creates deeper, more profound feelings of sadness, worry, and anxiety. They also last a good deal longer than the average baby blues.
The mental illness affects about 15% of mothers regardless of whether they have given birth before and is characterized by severe mood swings, a sense of futility, and extreme exhaustion. These pervasive feelings can make it challenging for the mother to take care of their new baby and even themselves.
It’s a serious mental illness that you should take seriously. Fortunately, there is help available, and the symptoms can be significantly reduced or overcome with treatment.
Main Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Periods of moodiness and feeling fatigued after having a baby are normal after having a baby. However, postpartum depression symptoms are more intense and can often affect a mother’s ability to function normally.
If you or your friends and family notice any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing postpartum depression.
- Long periods of severe anxiety
- Feelings of being a bad mother
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Significant changes in appetite
- Recurring suicidal thoughts
- Extreme anger or irritability
- Cloudy thinking and not able to concentrate
- Poor decision-making
- Trouble bonding with the baby
- Little things make you cry
- Thinking of harming the baby or self-harming
- Lack of energy or overpowering fatigue
- Pervasive feelings of guilt, inadequacy, or shame
It’s possible you may be coping with more than one of the above symptoms, which can increase the severity of postpartum depression and make it even harder to cope. Generally speaking, a diagnosis of postpartum depression will be made if symptoms persist for more than a couple of weeks.
Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression
No one knows what causes postpartum depression and all women are at risk of getting it. A study by Cheryl Beck [*1] provides a list of predictors that may make postpartum more likely, including:
- Experiencing prenatal depression
- History of depression
- Prenatal anxiety
- Severe maternity blues
- Lack of or inadequate social supports
- Challenging infant temperament
- Marital challenges (postpartum depression is relatively common in mothers who report they have are dissatisfied in their marriage)
- Difficulty with childcare
- Single status
- Lower socioeconomic status
- Unwanted or unplanned pregnancy
Another study which involved phone interviews with 973 women found that:
- More than 40 per cent became aware of symptoms after childbirth
- Around 33 per cent developed postpartum depression symptoms during pregnancy
- Almost 27 per cent had depression before pregnancy [*2]
Treatments for Postpartum Depression
If you think you might have postpartum depression, a consultation with your doctor as soon as possible is highly recommended.
Your doctor will help you diagnose and find an appropriate course of treatment. Some mothers will find that therapy sessions will help a great deal. However, severe cases may need to be treated with medication until the depression subsides.
It’s important to understand that every mother will be affected differently, so various treatments may be necessary before you find one that works best for you.
If your doctor is recommending medical treatment, keep in mind that most depression medication can take a few weeks to work, so you will need to have some patience and maybe use other strategies to get you through this period.
Whichever treatment you use, the importance of early intervention for women at risk of postpartum depression cannot be understated.
Even those with mild symptoms that don’t fit the usual criteria for a formal diagnosis should consider some type of support. Studies reveal that support and psychological care can significantly reduce the chance of a woman developing postpartum depression.
The types of intervention that have proven most effective include:
- Interpersonal therapy
- Telephone support
- Home visits
When postpartum depression is formally diagnosed, it is critical the mother receive as much care as she needs. Treatments will vary on the severity and type of symptoms and might include:
- Home visits from a qualified nurse
- Postpartum support groups
- Psychological interventions as a support mechanism for the new mother
- Medical treatment
After a consultation with your doctor, there are things mothers can do to support themselves.
Communicate — Coping with any type of depression on your own is not recommended, but it can be difficult to open up to others about the condition, especially if you are a reserved personality type. Talking with someone you can trust can help and will show you that you are not alone.
Find ways to socialize — A partner that goes off to work and leaves a new mother at home looking after the new baby can be incredibly isolating. You must maintain at least a modicum of social life. You may not have as much time as before, but visiting your close friends will help keep you grounded and connected.
Self-care — When you feel drained physically or emotionally, take some time off from doing the chores and stick to the basics of caring for yourself and the baby. Don’t be afraid to call close friends and family to ask for help. If your baby is a difficult sleeper, ask your parents or close friends to take a shift or two, so you can catch a night of sleep, soak in the bath, or lose yourself in a book for a few hours. Many mothers also find that meditation can help a great deal.
There’s no getting around the fact that a new baby in the house is a disruptive force that will turn your usual routine on its head. Remember to go easy on yourself and don’t worry about being perfect \because that’s impossible. If you notice things are getting too much or recognize symptoms of postpartum depression settling in, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.
[*1] PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11570712/
[*2] Jama Network, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1666651