When Should I Seek Professional Medical Treatment For Symptoms Related To Postpartum Depression
You should seek professional help when:
- Symptoms persist beyond two weeks.
- You can’t function normally or cope with everyday situations.
- You have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
- You feel extremely anxious, scared and panicked most of the day.
For immediate help or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else:
- Dial 911 in an emergency.
- Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO to 741741.
Symptoms Of Peripartum Depression
Symptoms of Peripartum Depression include:5
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Crying for no reason
- Lack of interest in the baby, not feeling bonded to the baby, or feeling very anxious about/around the baby
- Feelings of being a bad mother
- Fear of harming the baby or oneself
A woman experiencing peripartum depression usually has several of these symptoms, and the symptoms and their severity may change. These symptoms may cause new mothers to feel isolated, guilty, or ashamed. To be diagnosed with peripartum depression, symptoms must begin during pregnancy or within four weeks following delivery.
Many women with peripartum depression also experience symptoms of anxiety. One study found that nearly two-thirds of women with peripartum depression also had an anxiety disorder.6
While there is no specific diagnostic test for peripartum depression, it is a real illness that should be taken seriously. Any pregnant woman or new mother who experiences the symptoms of peripartum depression should seek evaluation by a medical professional an internal medicine doctor or an OB-GYN, who can make referrals to a psychiatrist or other mental health professional. Assessment should include a psychiatric evaluation and a medical evaluation to rule out physical problems that may have symptoms similar to depression .
Treating Perinatal Mood Disorders
If you think you have a perinatal mood disorder, one of the most important things you can do when seeking treatment is to involve your partner.
âAs soon as Iâm seeing someone, I want to get the husband and baby in as well, to see what impact itâs having on the family, and to give him the opportunity to talk about his frustrations and show him how he can support her,â Kleinman says.
The good news, Meyer says, is this: youâre not alone, and there is help — for both of you. But you have to reach out for it. You can start by contacting Postpartum Support International at 800-944-4773 for referrals to resources in your area. Men may want to check out an online resource called the Postpartum Dads Project at https://postpartumdadsproject.org/.
What will happen when you reach out for counseling and treatment? There are multiple options for treating perinatal mood disorders.
And, couples must remember to care for one another while in treatment for postpartum depression.
âStress so easily turns into âYouâre not taking care of me, so the hell with you.â This is not going to get you what you need,â Kleiman says. âTend to your relationship. Embrace it. Take care of each other. One of the best ways to meet your own needs is to take care of your partnerâs needs. It makes them feel better, and it enables them to do a better job taking care of you.â
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How Is Postpartum Depression Treated
Postpartum depression is treated differently depending on the type and severity of your symptoms. Treatment options include anti-anxiety or antidepressant medicines, psychotherapy and support group participation.
Treatment for postpartum psychosis may include medication to treat depression, anxiety and psychosis. You may also be admitted to a treatment center for several days until you’re stable. If you don’t respond to this treatment, electroconvulsive therapy can be effective.
If you are breastfeeding , don’t assume that you can’t take medicine for depression, anxiety or even psychosis. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options.
Are Some Women More At Risk Of Postpartum Depression
Yes. You may be more at risk of postpartum depression if you:3
- Have a personal history of depression or bipolar disorder
- Have a family history of depression or bipolar disorder
- Do not have support from family and friends
- Were depressed during pregnancy
- Lose your appetite
- Have trouble sleeping
The baby blues usually go away in 3 to 5 days after they start. The symptoms of postpartum depression last longer and are more severe. Postpartum depression usually begins within the first month after childbirth, but it can begin during pregnancy or for up to a year after birth.5
Postpartum depression needs to be treated by a doctor or nurse.
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What Is The Timeline Of Ppd
Postpartum depression is a condition with a wide variety of signs and symptoms. There are multiple types, treatment options and outcomes for each woman affected by PPD. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine an exact timeline of postpartum depression.
Initial PPD symptoms may first appear at different times for different women. In turn, the progression and recovery timelines will also be vary depending on the woman.
What Are The Symptoms Of Postpartum Depression
Some people feel ashamed about their symptoms or feel they are terrible parents for feeling the way they do. Postpartum depression is extremely common. You’re not the only person who feels this way, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.
You may have postpartum depression if you experience some of the following:
- Feeling sad, worthless, hopeless or guilty.
- Worrying excessively or feeling on edge.
- Loss of interest in hobbies or things you once enjoyed.
- Changes in appetite or not eating.
- Loss of energy and motivation.
- Trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep all the time.
- Crying for no reason or excessively.
- Difficulty thinking or focusing.
- Thoughts of suicide or wishing you were dead.
- Lack of interest in your baby or feeling anxious around your baby.
- Thoughts of hurting your baby or feeling like you don’t want your baby.
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you have postpartum depression. This can be your obstetrician, primary care provider or mental health provider. Your baby’s pediatrician can also help you.
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Postpartum Depression: 9 Years Later
by Katherine Stone |
Tomorrow my son will be ten. 10! I cant believe it has now been ten years since my glorious boy was born, and approximately nine years since I had postpartum depression, or to be more precise, postpartum OCD.
Ten years ago I was a mess. I thought my son would never love me. I thought Id end up being taken away and locked up somewhere and not be his mother for long. I thought that would be a good thing, if I wasnt his mother for long, because I thought he deserved much better than me.
Now I see how he loves me. Adores me, even. We are very close. This is such a gift to me, given my fears back then. That I had ruined him.
I am a good mom and he is a good boy.
He wasnt ruined by postpartum depression. He isnt ruined. Hes great. Hes very healthy. Hes witty, does great in school and is wonderfully kind. Hes cute, and thoughtful, and last night we laughed and laughed as he tried to complete his first clarinet lesson and ending up mainly honking out painful notes.
Im so glad Im his mom. and that I was so wrong about myself and my ability to mother those ten long years go.
Love conquers all.
When Does Postpartum Depression Start
The onset of postpartum depression is typically seen in parents when their child is between the newborn stage and 6 months of age. The experience, however, is not limited to the first six months after birth.
The American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists use the modifier “postpartum” to note when a person is diagnosed with depression within the first year after the birth of a child.
However, some people feel the effects of postpartum depression longer than a year after giving birth. As more people open up about their experiences with postpartum depression, it’s becoming clear that the condition affects each individual differently.
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Myths About Postnatal Depression
Postnatal depression is often misunderstood and there are many myths surrounding it.
These include:
- postnatal depression is less severe than other types of depression in fact, it’s as serious as other types of depression
- postnatal depression is entirely caused by hormonal changes it’s actually caused by many different factors
- postnatal depression will soon pass unlike the “baby blues”, postnatal depression can persist for months if left untreated and in a minority of cases it can become a long-term problem
- postnatal depression only affects women research has actually found that up to 1 in 10 new fathers become depressed after having a baby
These factors are equally true of antenatal depression.
Postpartum Depression And Its Long
Evidence suggests that both persistent and severe postpartum depression increase the risk of adverse outcomes in children.
Some women begin to feel anxious and depressed within a few days of giving birth. Many also experience crying spells for no clear reason, have trouble making decisions and sleeping, lose their appetite, and become angry at their newborn, other children, or significant other. These feelings, often referred to as the baby blues, typically last a few days to 2 weeks.1,2 Affecting up to 80% of mothers, the baby blues are usually not severe enough to require treatment.1-3
On the other hand, postpartum depression involves intense feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, or sadness that last much longer, affecting the mothers day-to-day life. Women who have postpartum depression develop symptoms an average of 1 to 3 weeks after childbirth, but the onset can be anytime during the first year after childbirth.1,2 Postpartum, or postnatal, depression is estimated to affect 10% of women in wealthier countries, and an even higher percentage in countries that are less wealthy.4
RISK FACTORS
CAUSES
EFFECT ON CHILDREN
Netsi et al looked at the long-term effects of persistent, severe postpartum depression and its effects on children. To evaluate the impact, the researchers used data from the British Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.4,6 For details of the study, see the table.4.6
OTHER RESEARCH
IN THE NEWS
References
Related Content:
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Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSAs 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 19.3 million people aged 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.
When Postpartum Depression Doesnt Go Away
For 38 percent of sufferers, the condition becomes chronic, and mothers who expected it to pass as their children aged can struggle to find effective treatments.
After giving birth to her first child, Chelsea Reiswig, like many new mothers, struggled with postpartum depression. But even as her child got older, the condition didnt go away.
I knew postpartum depression was a thing, she says, but I never really thought about it affecting me. I was not myself. I felt scared all the time. Reiswig was jarred by the thought that this might be a condition that sticks with her for life. Six years later, Reiswig, 32, is still struggling with depression.
After she experienced a panic attack when her son was eight months old, Reiswigs father-in-lawa family-practice doctorencouraged her to seek help. She was taking one antidepressant for about 10 months until it stopped working and she switched to another.
I started feeling the depression come back, Reiswig said, and I thought, What is wrong with me? This is not normal, hes like a year and a half , why am I still experiencing this? Something is really wrong with me because you dont hear people talk about postpartum depression starting and then staying like that.
I was thinking, Well, it was postpartum depression, so I should be fine, but thats not how it works, at least not for me, Jessica says.
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A New Study Finds Postpartum Depression Symptoms Can Linger Three Years After Childbirth Experts Say Ppd Screenings For Mothers After The First Year May Be Necessary
In recent years, more attention has thankfully been brought on postpartum depression , which up to 20 percent of moms experience. Those intense symptoms, including depressed mood and excessive crying, typically begin within the first few weeks of giving birth and can also show up later on within the first year.
For some new moms, postpartum depression can last up to three years, reveals a new study from the National Institutes of Health . The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, looked at 5,000 women and found about 1 in 4 had high levels of depressive symptoms at some point in the three years after giving birth. The remaining women had low levels of depression throughout the same time period.
This brings attention to the idea mothers may need longer screening for postpartum depression than the American Academy of Pediatrics already recommended one, two, four, and six months after giving birth.
How Long Does Postpartum Depression Last
Postpartum depression can last until one year after your child is born. However, this doesn’t mean you should feel “cured” in one year. Talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms and treatment. Be honest about how you feel. Think carefully about if you feel better than you did at the beginning of your diagnosis. Then, they can recommend ongoing treatment for your symptoms.
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After Wife’s Suicide Dad Is On A Mission To Help Women With Postpartum Disorders
Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody agrees, but adds the paper doesnt explain whether the womens symptoms were missed, and they were diagnosed later, or if the symptoms simply appeared later.
For some women, the onset of postpartum depression is likely to be more chronic and persistent, the director of the University of North Carolina Center for Womens Mood Disorders told TODAY Parents. One of the things we don’t know about this is how many of these women were depressed before pregnancy?
Favini notes that in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 , the perinatal mood disorder period is only four weeks after birth. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that postpartum mood disorder can last or start any time up to a year after birth. But Favini says even in later stages some moms feel tremendous guilt when they experience onset later.
Women who are presenting to treatment a little bit later or their symptoms are coming up almost two years postpartum they think this can’t possibly be postpartum depression, she said. It’s really validating to have a broader definition of the perinatal period.
The findings can help both women and doctors better understand how pregnancy impacts mood disorders in the long run. The changes that occur to women during pregnancy and birth don’t magically disappear by a set date of six months or a year, yet that’s often when screening ends.
Longer Ppd Screenings May Be Needed
Our study indicates that six months may not be long enough to gauge depressive symptoms, Diane Putnick, Ph.D., the main author and a staff scientist in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development epidemiology branch, said in a statement. These long-term data are key to improving our understanding of moms mental health, which we know is critical to her childs well-being and development.
Postpartum depression screenings, the authors say, may need to continue for at least two years. I suggest two years because by then it will be clearer which moms are getting better and which are staying depressed or becoming more depressed, Dr. Putnick tells Parents.com. That doesn’t necessarily mean more screenings are needed, adds Dr. Putnick, but spacing out the four recommended may be more beneficial.
Dr. Putnick notes the height of postpartum depression is considered the first month after birth. Women who experience their first symptoms of depression two years later are generally suffering depression with no peripartum onset. “The only difference in the diagnostic criteria for a regular depressive episode and postpartum depression is when it startsand not when it ends,” says Dr. Putnick. “In this study we were interested in symptoms, regardless of meeting diagnostic criteria, because we wanted to capture these various trajectories after birth.”
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What Are The Baby Blues
The baby blues are the least severe form of postpartum depression. Approximately 50% to 75% of all new mothers will experience some negative feelings after giving birth. Normally these feelings occur suddenly four to five days after the birth of the baby.The most common symptoms include:
- Crying for no apparent reason
- Mood swings with irritability and anxiousness
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Change in eating and sleeping
While these symptoms are quite unpleasant, they typically resolve on their own within a week to two weeks. Getting as much rest as possible and having a good support system can help these symptoms seem less severe.If you or someone you know is struggling with any form of postpartum depression, please contact a physician, a friend, or the American Pregnancy Association so that the appropriate help can be located.
Compiled using information from the following sources:Williams Obstetrics Twenty-Second Ed. Cunningham, F. Gary, et al, Ch. 55.MedlinePlus . Bethesda : National Library of Medicine . Postpartum Depression . Available from: Depression during and after Pregnancy Fact Sheet,
Factors That May Affect How Long It Lasts
No timeline can definitively say how long PPD will last for those who experience it. The timeframe for recovery is different for everyone. For some, it lasts longer than the 3-6 month average. Several factors may contribute to PPD that lasts longer.
Risk factors for longer recovery from PPD:
- Lack of partner and social support
- A history of depression or anxiety
- An abusive partner
- Feeling disconnected from your baby
- Fearing that you will hurt your baby or hurt yourself
- Feeling like you aren’t a good parent
People who experience depression during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby may also experience anxiety. If your symptoms last longer than two weeks postpartum and are interfering with your daily activities, it’s a sign that you need to discuss your symptoms with your doctor.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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