Postpartum Depression 101

Written by Jane Brown

You've just given birth to your child, one of the happiest, most fulfilling moments of your life. But if this is true, why can't you help but feeling...empty, alone, helpless?

Remember, our emotions are largely regulated by chemical processes going on in our brains, and during pregnancy there's a lot of hormones and other chemicals racing through your body. It's no surprise that when pregnancy is over the changes of your body reverting back to normal have an impact on your emotions and feelings. According to research, almost 80 percent of new moms experience some sort of mood disturbance after pregnancy. It could just be a blue day or it could develop into long term feelings of unhappiness, loneliness and lack of affection for your baby, and guilt over these feelings. The long term baby blues can develop into something known as postpartum depression, a form of clinical depression (meaning an all-encompassing low mood that negatively impacts all or most aspects of a person's life over an extended period of time).

Postpartum depression effects about 10 percent of all new mothers and can occasionally develop into something even worse, known as postpartum psychosis. In postpartum psychosis, the mother becomes delusional and can become a threat to herself and others. Caught early enough, this mental illness can be treated with antipsychotic medicine, and the mother can be back to feeling normal within a matter of weeks.

The baby blues tend to strike a few days after delivery and last for a few weeks. They're characterized by some mood swings, a little anxiety and sadness and trouble sleeping. It won't impact your ability to take care of your baby, and it's unrelated to any other form of mental illness.

Postpartum depression is worse. A lot worse. The feelings common to the baby blues take a prolonged stay, and they're much more pronounced. Over time these bad feelings can impact your ability to take care of your child. In addition to the symptoms of baby blues described above, postpartum depression is also characterized by lack of appetite, loss of sex drive, severe mood swings, withdrawal from family and the baby and occasionally thoughts of harming yourself or the baby.

Postpartum psychosis effects only a very few new mothers, but it is an extreme condition and requires immediate attention. It usually strikes very soon after delivery and in addition to the symptoms of postpartum depression it can include hallucinations, paranoia and attempts to harm oneself or ones baby. Pre-existing mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or psychosis.

Postpartum depression and psychosis have a variety of causes. As mentioned before, chemical changes after pregnancy can have a drastic impact on the emotional state of a new mother. Rapid drops in progesterone, estrogen and cortisol that occur after birth can cause depressed moods and rapid mood swings.

Life circumstances can also cause postpartum depression. Some of these circumstances include loss of job, financial worries, relationship difficulties and a perceived lack of support from family and social services. Unplanned or unwanted pregnancies can also lead to postpartum depression.

If you think you have postpartum depression you should contact a mental health professional if your persistent case of the blues lasts longer than a few weeks and is affecting your ability to care for yourself and your baby. A mental health professional can help you find a way to cope with these feelings and provide your child with the care that he or she deserves.

When diagnosing postpartum depression, a mental health professional will ask you a series of questions designed to gauge the depth of your depression. Blood work may also be done to determine whether an underactive thyroid is contributing to your condition.

Counseling is a good treatment for postpartum depression, but a number of pharmeceutical solutions are available. Antidepressants can be prescribed. While antidepressants are generally frowned upon for pregnant women, there are some that pose minimal risk to mothers breastfeeding their children. Another solution is hormone therapy, which will help you adjust to the reduced hormone production your body assumes when you are no longer pregnant.

Some work you can do on your own to treat postpartum depression is taking care of your appearance, getting plenty of rest, staying connected with family and friends and exercising.

To prevent postpartum depression, inform your health care provider while you're pregnant about any history of depression you may have. He or she can monitor you for depressive behavior.

With any luck, your postpartum depression will cease to be a problem within a few weeks, allowing you to fully enjoy the new life you've brought into this world.