Postpartum Depression : Symptoms And Symptoms

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).

The postpartum period is about going through change and transition from a woman to a new mother. This is a time where mothers restore muscle tone and connective tissue in the body after the birth of the baby. Although there is a dramatic change during the postpartum period, women’s body is nonetheless not fully stored to pre-pregnant physiology until about 6 months post-delivery (Osailan, 6). At this time, women need to receive special health and social support to prevent problems such as postpartum depression. During this period, culture plays a major role in the way a woman perceives and prepares for her birthing experience. In fact, the notions of birth and postnatal care vary considerably with cultural beliefs and traditional practices. Each culture has its own values, beliefs and practices related to pregnancy and birth (Osailan,1). In the United States, after a short hospital stay, moms and babies are sent home because it is expected for mothers to heal within 42 days after giving birth. Whereas in other societies like Mexico, the postpartum recovery is active long enough until the new mother is fully healed (Brenhouse). In the article, “Why Are America’s Postpartum Practices So Rough on New Mothers?” by Hilary Brenhouse, the author states, “With these rituals comes an acknowledgment, familial and federal, that the woman needs relief more at this time than at any other—especially if she has a career to return to—and that it takes weeks, sometimes months, to properly

The presence of risk factors does not guarantee that a woman will experience PPD, but it may indicate that the health care provider should pay a little more attention to possible signs and symptoms of depression. Known risk factors include depression or other mental illness prior to, and during, pregnancy, a family history of depression or other mental health disorders, a history of substance abuse, the age of the mother, financial concerns, lack of a support system, and being a single parent (Camp, 2013). In the presence of risk factors it is important for the health care provider to educate the woman on ways to

As mental health in America is finally being addressed and more research is seen, it is important to look at the potential causes or correlations that lead to common diagnoses for patients. According to Brummelte and Galea (2010), “depression affects approximately 1 in 5 people, with the incidence being 2-3x higher in women than in men.” Postpartum depression (PPD), a subset of this debilitating disease, has an estimated prevalence rate of 13-19% with another estimated 50% that are undiagnosed (O’hara and McCabe, 2013). As a whole, it has the same symptoms as major depressive disorder but diagnosis occurs within 0-4 weeks of giving birth (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Part of this lack of diagnosis is due to a multitude of healthcare

Postpartum depression: What is it, how long does it last, and does it affect children on the long run? Postpartum depression is a depression that affects woman usually during the first months after giving birth. Postpartum depression affects 1 in 5 woman. It can also affect fathers. In most cases, postpartum depression can last many years. There are 3 types of postpartum psychiatric disorders: postpartum blues, postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression. According to Health Facty, there are 10 symptoms of postpartum depression; sadness, mood swings, feeling overwhelmed, crying spells, problems with memory and concentration, change in sleep cycle, altered patterns of eating, loss of libido, social withdrawal, and an enduring sense of

The overview of this article is postpartum depression in rural Unites States communities. Researchers search to find the causes and effects of postpartum depression in rural US communities. There are many reasons this is a problem because it not only effects women but it effects children, the family unit as a whole, communities and many other areas as well. There are people that move to rural areas because the cost of living can be cheaper and a family that is trying to save money could view rural home life as a way to save money. There can be a downside though this becomes the lack of quality healthcare, poor education opportunities, distance is typically too far for many to be able to see quality services this all aides in the problems with Postpartum Depression. Nurses are the frontline in spotting postpartum depression and there needs to be more screening for this major problem.

Estimates of the prevalence of postpartum depression range from 13% to 19% (O 'Hara & McCabe, 2013). However, major depressive episodes may go undiagnosed in 65% of pregnant women ( (Ko, Farr, Dietz, & Robbins, 2012). It is important for pregnant women and new mothers to undergo depression screening to be diagnosed and treated early if they are experiencing any symptoms of depression. Depression during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of inadequate nutrition, poor weight gain, inadequate prenatal care, preterm birth, surgical birth and low birth weight babies (Wirz-Justice, et al., 2011). The newborns have a higher rate of neonatal intensive care admissions and increased risk of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders (Wirz-Justice, et al., 2011).

This paper give a in depth description of five different articles, all with the main subject being postpartum depression. The first three description are of experiments that have been carried out on postpartum depression, in the explanation of these journals the purpose, hypothesis, procedures, participants, results and limitations will be discussed. The last two articles will review and summarized in detail the information article. In this paper, there will be in depth description on ways to treat postpartum depression, ways to predicts the probability an individual will develop postpartum.

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,

Only around 15% of women receive the proper help they need. The exact numbers are unknown considering the stigma that surrounds any type of mental health issue. The majority of affected mothers don’t have the resources to obtain the proper treatment for their symptoms or for their children. Previous studies have shown that mothers with postpartum depression tend to negatively affect the development of their infant. “Children outcomes include poor cognitive functioning, as well as emotional and behavioral problems such as increased risk for externalizing disorders and future psychopathology.” (Werner, Gustafsson, Lee, Feng, Jiang, Desai, & Monk, 2015). It has been proven that postpartum depression “dysregulates maternal cognitive and affective function and in turn interferes with the mother’s ability to notice and interpret her infant’s cues accurately, contingently and sensitively.” (Horowitz, Murphy, Gregory, Wojcik, Pulcini, & Solon, 2013) causing them more frustration and preventing them from properly caring and stimulating the child. Postpartum depression is such a serious condition that not only can it cost the life of the mother but also the life of the

“While postpartum depression is a common mental condition with significant burden, it often remains undiagnosed and untreated.” (Dennis, 2004) Women need to get their depression treated as soon as possible. It’s not something they should just brush off and leave it for later. Having the baby blues which approximately affects about 70-80% of new mothers which then it should hit them fast so they can get treatment fast. (American Pregnancy Association, 2015) Ways to get help are by talking to someone you can trust with your feelings. Keep a journal of your feelings and thoughts. Don’t stay inside all the time and be coped up, get outside and get some fresh air. Mothers may also need counseling, antidepressants or hormone therapy. For

After having some background information about how postpartum depression happens, it’s time to talk about the stages. The first stage is denial, no one wants to believe that they are depress after giving life to little angel because everywhere you go or anytime you here a baby is born you think of happiness and how great life will be, so it’s difficult for a mother to believe she is depress.

After reading the second page, I had thought about post-partum depression as the main theme of the story. Being in confinement and being misdiagnosed of the depression, it tends to make the depression stronger. With Jane's husband taking all of her "stress" relievers away is making her fall into a deeper depression, which will take longer for her to come out of. I understand as a doctor and a men in this time period, everything that we know now is not what they knew back when the story was written. As for being a man, he had the more dominance to tell Jane what was good for her and what was not good for her to cure her "nervousness".

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.

The following study by Susan Gair focuses on postpartum depression and adoptive mothers (Gair, 1999). Postpartum depression, also known as postnatal depression, is defined as an “imbalance of hormones affecting women’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors, placing them at risk of depression” (Gair, 1999). Characteristics of postpartum depression can include: fatigue, loss of interest, sadness, guilt, exaggerated fears concerning the baby or self, hostility towards a partner or the baby, some obsessive behavior, often tearful despondency (Gair, 1999).