Postpartum Depression Related To Hormone Changes

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a potentially serious medical condition that can cause a woman to experience deep depression and anxiety after giving birth to a baby.  This occurs when she should be enjoying her happiest moments.  Postpartum Depression has recently received a lot of attention because certain celebrities have come forward and shared their own personal experiences.  It 's also received a lot of negative attention because of the terrible crimes that some women have committed against their own children.  Part of this problem comes from the fact that many women are afraid to share their feelings.  This is the reason why more education is needed on this illness so that women are aware that PPD is a very real medical condition.

There are several different symptoms that accompany PPD.  These are as different as women themselves are.  Patients may show several, or just a few, of the many symptoms.  It's important that you realize that these symptoms must be present for a minimum of two weeks and must be present most of the time throughout the day. In other words, the symptoms are persistant and don't let up.

Most women who experience Postpartum Depression complain of  an overall feeling of depression. Head to toe. Other symptoms that are common to PPD are crying,  feeling hopeless and feeling inadequate.  Sometimes there will be changes in appetite as eating becomes more difficult.  Other times though, a woman's appetite may increase, which she has no explanation for. 

As is common with other serious forms of depression, these women may not find activities that they used to enjoy to be fun anymore.  They 'll also sometimes suffer from extreme anxiety and fatigue.  Women with this condition may have no desire to interact with their new baby or take care of it. They may in fact, feel disconnected and apathetic whenever they think about their baby.  Some women may even find themselves having thoughts of hurting their child.  If a woman ever begins to have these feelings, she must tell someone that she trusts, right away.

Postpartum Depression is related to hormone changes, which occur after pregnancy.  While many women can go through a period of  "the blues" after giving birth, sometimes this will turn into Postpartum Depression, especially if the woman's spouse or family  is unsupportive of her and she feels isolated.
 
It's difficult to treat PPD because most women won't seek help.  This is likely due to the fact that most of these symptoms pop up on a small scale after pregnancy so most women have difficulty seeing when these things are becoming a problem.  For this reason, it's important for spouses and family to keep a close watch on new mothers.  If necessary, they should not be afraid to intervene and insist that the woman seek help. This is for the protection of both the woman and her baby. 

There are two ways in which Post-partum Depression can be treated.  First, when most doctors initially diagnose a woman with PPD, they'll refer her to a professional counselor.  The counselor will then be able to teach her methods of dealing with the anxiety that she is experiencing.  The other option is to start the woman on antidepressant medication.  This is often done in combination with counseling because the antidepressants can help to alleviate some of the the outward symptoms, while she works with a counselor to ease her anxiety. 

The most important thing that a woman suffering from Postpartum Depression can do is keep in mind that she will get better. It will just take some time. She just needs to seek the appropriate medical attention so she can finally begin enjoying the joy of motherhood.