Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Postpartum Depression

Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Postpartum Depression

© Dr.P.Elayaraja

If woman, who may be a wife, daughter or daughter-in-law behaves very strangely after delivery, she doesn’t take care of the baby well, cries for no reason or she ignores her newborn child then she might be suffering from ‘maternal blues’ or ’baby blues’. This condition is technically known as post-partum depression (PPD).

PPD symptoms

A woman can have mild mental disorder to severe mental depression for 2-3 months after the delivery (postpartum). If the condition is a mild mind upset, it will disappear in a week or two. This doesn’t require any particular treatment. Symptoms like anger, anxiety, sleeplessness and lethargy are displayed during this period.

Depressions that last for more than two weeks are cases of great concern. This is the real postpartum depression (PPD) and Women who had already suffered depressions and stress are more likely to get PPD severely. Symptoms like ignoring the baby, over anxiety about the newborn, sleeplessness, suicidal tendency, tendency to hurt them or the child and avoiding to breastfeed the baby are very common.

A more serious condition in postpartum is psychosis and requires hospitalization. Psychosis can be hereditary or severe stress and depression in life.

Reasons for Postpartum blues

Changing lifestyle creates a sort of over burden on the mother. Women who are in a nuclear family are more prone to such conditions than those who live in joint families (parents or parent-in-laws). Small and silly things become reasons for anxiety and depression.

Women who give birth to pre-term babies also face such problems. Changes in hormonal levels during pregnancy and postpartum are the main culprits for PPD. Helplessness in breastfeeding the child properly can also add to the worries. Unexpected pregnancy and detection of pregnancy at a very late stage are other reasons for postpartum depression or baby blues.

Treatment

Family members should make sure that the mother is taken care well and give her confidence in bringing up the child.  Avoid telling horror stories about pregnancy and delivery to the mother or the expecting mother. Some stories may seem positive, but they really have a negative effect. A simple and stress-free mind will keep away maternal blues or baby blues.

© 2010 Dr.P.Elayaraja