Depression Help

Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression

History of clinical depression, anxiety or panic disorder, bipolar disease, eating disorders, or obsessive –compulsive disorder.

•    Poor social support, meaning you have no one you can rely on for assistance or to share intimate thoughts and feelings with.
•    Previous history of menstrual disorders, and difficulty becoming pregnant (sign of hormone imbalance).
•    History of childhood abuse, including emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
•    Multiple or serious stressful life events, such as difficulty in family relationships or at work, a recent move, a new job or other major change, financial problem.
•    Chronic or frequent vaginal yeast infections, or frequent antibiotic or steroid use, causing yeast overgrowth in the bowels.
•    Stopping breastfeeding soon after delivery, either by choice or because of adequate milk.
•    High weight gain during pregnancy and poor weight loss after pregnancy.
•    A traumatic birth experience, including unexpected cesarean section or the delivery of a preterm infant.
•    Early discharge from the hospital (less than twenty- four to forty hours).
•    Marital dissatisfaction.
•    Lack of social support.
•    Unwanted pregnancy.

•    Cognitive- behavioral therapy with a supportive counselor. This is recommended for all women with postpartum depression. It can also prevent postpartum depression. In one study, PPD symptoms improved after one session and showed much greater improvement after one session and showed much greater improvement after six sessions. A cognitive- behavioral counselor can also teach you skills for managing anxiety, such as deep breathing and relaxation techniques.
•    Interpersonal counseling, focusing on your relationships and the personal changes that come with having a new baby. This gives you emotional support and help with problem- solving and goal- setting. In one study more women recovered from PPD after 12 interpersonal counseling sessions than did those who had no counseling.
•    Antidepressant medication, ideally with counseling. Because breast-feeding offers many emotional and physical benefits for both baby and mother, experts are studying which antidepressants are most safe for breast- feed while taking an antidepressant for postpartum depression. Whether or not you are breast- feeding, your health professional is likely to recommend a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This class of medication has proven to work very well for women, with minimal to no side effects.

Breast- feeding babies whose mothers take an antidepressant do not often have side effects. But they can. If you take an antidepressant while breast- feeding, talk to your doctor and your baby’s doctor about what type of side effects to look for.

• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Irritability
• Crying
• Headaches
• Exhaustion

Symptoms of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression affects 10 to 15 percent of women who give birth. Postpartum depression is best described as the baby blues that deepen and last beyond the first month. Women who suffer from postpartum depression may feel profound sadness, have obsessive thoughts.

The appearance of postpartum depression varies from woman to woman. It may appear as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsiveness. Women may be suffering from postpartum depression if feel depressed, and suffer from at least four of the following symptoms almost continuously for at least two weeks:

• Hopelessness and helplessness.
• Sleeplessness despite exhaustion.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Difficulty making decisions.
• Changes in appetite (i.e., loss of appetite, food cravings).
• Anxiety, fear, guilt.
• Tingling, numbness, or feeling of dread, all of which signal a panic attack.
• Impulses to harm baby or self.
• Obsession with baby’s health.

Postpartum depression varies in severity and may last for several months. Major depression is the most common kind of depression that occurs after pregnancy. Other women suffer from dysthymia a mild but long – lasting depression that may stem from childhood trauma or a current abusive relationship.

Symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe illness that affects one in every thousand women who birth. The woman with postpartum psychosis may experience delusions, such as thinking her baby is evil, which involve seeing, hearing, smelling, or otherwise sensing things that aren’t really there.

Psychosis is often termed “a break from reality”. Its hallmark symptoms to differ from other types of psychosis and is generally considered a severe form of depression called bipolar depression. It is combination of illnesses.

The signs and symptoms are even more severe. These are the following symptoms:

• Fear of harming yourself or baby
• Confusion and disorientation
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Paranoia

Here are several possible causes for postpartum depression (PPD):

Hormone/Biologic Causes

It is very likely that at least part of the cause for PPD is related to hormones. One study showed similarities between certain hormone level of mothers during the postpartum period and other women not in postpartum who suffer from chronic depression.

Another recent study suggests that one possible cause may be the drop in insulin that mother experience in the postpartum period. The drop in insulin reduces the level of serotonin in the brain, which is well –known for its ability to affect mood disorders.

Marital/Self-esteem Causes

Marital dissatisfaction is not only a risk factor but may also be a cause for PPD. Mothers who are closer to their spouses/partners are less likely to develop PPD. Some research shows that receiving a daily massage from their partner dramatically reduced the incidence of PPD for some mothers. So a poor marital relationship can play a role in PPD.

Health/Fatigue Causes

There is some evidence that postpartum mood disorders may be directly related to the fatigue women experience. One study showed that the level of fatigue mothers reported at two weeks “postpartum was the best predictor of later postpartum mood disorders at four weeks” postpartum. But the lack of sleep adds to the mother’s inability to care for herself and her baby.

Sociocultural Causes

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition that describes a range of Physical and emotional changes that many mothers can have after having a baby. PPD can be treated with medication and counseling. If you think you have suffer from PPD than talk to your family doctor or health-care that provide you right away.

There are three types of PPD women can have after giving birth:

1. The so called “baby blue” happens in many women in the days right after childbirth. A new mother can have sudden mood swings, such as feeling very happy and then feeling sad.She may cry for no reason and can feel impatient, restless, irritable, lonely and sad. The baby blue may last only a few hours or as long as one to two weeks after delivery.

2. Postpartum depression (PPD) can happen a few days or even months after child birth. PPD can happen after the birth of any child, not just the first child. A women can have feelings similar to the baby blues- sadness, despair, anxiety, irritability- but she feels them much more strongly than she would with the baby blues. PPD often keeps a woman from doing the things she needs to do every day. When a woman’s ability to function is affected, this is a sure that she needs health care.

3. Postpartum psychosis is a very serious mental illness that can affect new mothers. This illness can happen quickly, often within the first three months after childbirth. Women can lose touch with reality, often having auditory hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t actually happening, like a person talking) and delusions (seeing things differently from what they are). Other symptoms include insomnia (not being able to sleep), feeling agitated and angry and strange feelings and behaviors. Women who have postpartum psychosis need treatment right away and almost always need medication. Sometimes women are put into the hospital because they are at risk for hurting themselves or someone else.

The birth of a baby can trigger a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety. But it can also result in something you might not expect- depression.

Benefit from depression maintenance therapy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among elderly patients who have recovered from an episode of major depression, maintenance treatment with antidepressant drugs is superior to placebo in preserving the improvements in health-related quality of life, according to a recent report.

“Depression is one of the major causes of decline in the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) of elderly persons,” write Dr. Alexandre Y. Dombrovski and colleagues, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The researchers, from University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, examined the effectiveness of antidepressant maintenance therapy with paroxetine and interpersonal psychotherapy in retaining the gains in HR-QOL achieved during initial short-term treatment in patients 70 years or older with depression.

Most of the people misunderstand teen depression, in actuality it is not their fault because the teenage is the age where identifying depression becomes difficult. It should be understood that the bad mood of a teenager is different from depression. Depression can destroy the very essence of the persona and cause sadness, despair and extreme anger with irritation. It is very important to identify the symptoms of teen depression.

Symptoms:

Teenagers have lots of pressure on them, and also transition from child to adult can also bring some conflicts among their parents as they seek some independence. All these issue can lead to the change of mood of the person, but this change of mood cannot be distinguished as depression or normal sad mood. Some of the symptoms that are:

-    Sadness, hopelessness.
-    Irritability, anger, hostile
-    Withdrawal fro friends and family, loss of interest in activities
-    Change in habits like eating and sleeping
-    Fatigue and Energy loss
-    Thoughts of death and suicide.

If it is unsure about depression, than the time period for the symptoms are to be considered, for how much time the behavior has been changed, are the symptoms severe etc.

As soon as you feel that your child must be suffering from depression you should consult the psychiatrist or a doctor. He will undergo some tests and than prescribe certain medicines or other ways to overcome it. It is necessary that the person should get appropriate treatment rather than be neglected considering that it might be teenage effects, because this negligence can be harmful on the health and life of the teenager. The most important start from your side can be like spending quality time with your child whenever he requires you.

The most common belief between women is that, they think that they can overcome depression on their own. They may not understand the low risk with the medical treatment and further more they think they are intelligent enough so going to the psychologist or counselor will be of no use but a waste. Some side effects can be seen during the treatment of depression like drowsiness, insomnia and agitation, but serious effects are not. Counseling or medical therapy or both can help and are extremely effective in the safe treatment of men and women.

The symptoms that can identify depression in women are:

-    Social Isolation
-    Loss of interest in usual activities
-    Loss of energy
-    Problem in Concentrating
-    Weight Loss or Weight Gain
-    Feeling sad or crying a lot.

As soon as these symptoms are identified the patient should report to the doctor and explain everything. These symptoms may act as warning signs for depression. Every patient has the right to accurate information of any disease; same is the case with depression. The patient should be told about the side effects and the time period that would take to lessen the side effects (with continued treatment). The patient must give appropriate and updated report to the doctor about the recovery of depression and status of the side effects. Time period for the recovery of depression is not specific and depends on the symptoms also, but it can be within 1 month to 1 year to come completely out of depression. It should be taken care that visit to the doctor is regular.

So medication or psychotherapist or the combination of both is the way to get proper relief from the depression. Women suffering from depression must do things by enrich they can enhance their quality of life and the time they spent with their family. Proper treatment of depression can accomplish this goal in an effective manner.