Postpartum Depression And Its Effects On Mental Health

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 depression is one of the most commons disorders in the early few weeks of child birth. According to the American Psychology Association almost 1 in 7 women are Likely to inherit the disorder. Postpartum depression is caused by the rapid drop of estrogen and progestrone hormone following the birth of a child. The effects include excessive crying without reasoning, irritability, anxiety, loss of memory, and the inability to focus. Within the early weeks of child birth it is expected for a mother embrace her baby however;  The symptoms of postpartum depression can cause intrusive thoughts that can harm both mother and child. Many women suffer from the postpartum due to the lack of a support system. It is likely that if a mother doesn't

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects at least 10-20% of new mothers. However, the true incidence may be much higher due to the fact that screening is not considered to be a standard practice, leaving PPD undetected and untreated in many women (Schaar & Hall, 2014). Postpartum depression not only negatively affects the mother; it also has a negative impact on the infant. For this reason, it is important for the health care providers caring for pregnant and postpartum mothers to screen them for risk factors associated with PPD, as well as educate them on ways to lessen their chances of getting PPD. It is also important for the health care providers to screen for PPD with a standardized tool like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and to take action in treating it when it is suspected or diagnosed.

Unlike "the baby blues" which affects 70% to 80% of new mothers and does not require prompt medical attention due to its mild nature. Major Post Partum Depression attacks 10% of new mothers and is entirely a beast of a different nature, one that must be reckoned with. The most recent Post Partum case that has rightfully caused a media frenzy is the Andrea Yates case. Yates was the mother of five young children. This past summer Yates held each of her children in a bath tub full of water until their death. Yates had PPD.

Postpartum depression has been around for centuries, it was recognized as early as 1500 B.C. However, instead of seeing it as a medical issues it was viewed as witch craft or victims of witch craft. Later on in the 1920s one theory suggested these mood disorders were caused from suppressed homosexuality or incestuous urges. Postpartum depression was not even taught in schools because people believed that it was impossible for a pregnant woman to be depressed because pregnancy/birth of a child was a joyous occasion. Now fast forward to present day and postpartum depression is well known and is taken very seriously. Recent studies show that within the first year of giving birth one in five woman have experienced postpartum depression.

"Why do so many women continue to suffer?" Asked Psychotherapist Karen Kleimen in her recent article on postpartum depression in a well-known medical magazine, Psychology Today. "Why is it that postpartum depression and its related conditions continue to be misunderstood by so many healthcare professionals?" Followed Karen. After being constantly bombarded with terrifying effects and the rising number of cases of postpartum depression, many women are raising similar questions as those of Karen and are demanding satisfactory answers from healthcare providers. As a result, healthcare providers have conducted several research and concluded a number of potential causes for postpartum depression.

Most women feel the affects of postpartum depression in he first weeks of motherhood. According the American Pregnancy Association’s 2014 statistics “approximately

Symptoms of PPD can impact the ability of their body to function in a way that is uncomfortable for a mother. The Mayo Clinic provides an insight on how a mother's body responds to postpartum changes; “ Other hormones produced by your thyroid gland also may drop sharply - which can leave you feeling tired, sluggish and depressed. Changes in your blood volume, blood pressure, immune system and metabolism can contribute to Postpartum Depression.” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016

A woman’s body goes through many changes during pregnancy and after childbirth. Women can experience “postpartum baby blues” a few days after they deliver. During the postpartum baby blues, mothers may experience “depression, fatigue, insomnia, headache, anxiety, sadness, and anger” (Lowdermilk, Perry & Cashion, 2014). If the symptoms do not subside in a few weeks post-delivery, a mother may be diagnosed with postpartum depression (PPD). The estimated prevalence of mother experiencing postpartum depression is around 10-15% (Lowdermilk et al., 2014). Postpartum depression can affect a woman’s everyday life and how she responds to having a new baby in her life. She may not feel as though she can take care of her baby which can become a problem.

70 to 80 percent of women who have given birth experience what is know as “Baby blues,” (Piotrowski & Benson, 2015). These are mild symptoms of depression and usually go away after two weeks. However, the symptoms of unspecified depressive disorder with peripartum onset also known as postpartum depression (PPD) can be more intense and last significantly longer. According to the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2013), postpartum depression occurs during pregnancy or in the 4 weeks following delivery. Postpartum depression has symptoms that cause clinically significant distress or impairment to the new mothers life and can include the inability to take care of the newborn or herself. The DSM-5 also states that,

Many psychosocial stressors may have an impact on the development of postpartum depression. The greater risk of postpartum depression is a history of major depression and those who have experienced depression during past pregnancies. Untreated maternal depression can have a negative effect on child development, mother-infant bonding, and risk of anxiety or depressive symptoms in infants later in life. Management of postpartum depression is a vital part of adequate medical care.” (Patel, Bailey, Jabeen, Ali, Barker, and Osiezagha,

Women with past experiences of depression have a higher risk of antenatal and postpartum depression. Because antenatal depression can occur before postpartum, this is also an important aspect of the bonding process because it can dictate

This research was aimed at identifying women that have predisposing factors that can lead to postpartum -depression and comparing them with samples that had lower risk factors. My observation in reference to this question is that no one is exempt. There are many physical and emotional issues that can affect women during their postpartum period because of the different hormonal changes in her body. Events that could have affected this question is dishonest from the participants in reference to demographic, health and mental status, etc. The author states “ factors to be associated with moderate to high risk of PPD include depression, anxiety during pregnancy, stressful life events, low levels of social support, and the personality factor of neuroticism. ( Katon, Russo & Gavin, 2014)

According to statistics, up to 20 % of new mothers may experience postpartum depression in the months after giving birth. Up to 85% of women have bouts of crying, mood swings, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, sad or fatigued after the birth of a child, in a condition called “the baby blues.” It can last up to two weeks and is said to be normal. However, these are the same symptoms of PPD. Symptoms of PPD vary from person to person, between men and women, and now can even start before the baby is born. On top of the colossal size of symptoms seen in depression alone now we introduce another unwavering set. These also include feelings of extreme sadness/shame/guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, fears about hurting the baby, and feelings of disconnect

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).