Prenatal depression includes depression that occurs during pregnancy and postpartum weeks (postpartum depression). Most prenatal episodes start 4-8 weeks after the baby’s birth. Pregnant women experience sadness, anxiety, and fatigue after childbirth, which may make it difficult to perform daily tasks, including self-care or others.
How is postpartum depression different from the “baby blues”?
The term “Baby blues” is a term used to describe mild, short-term mood swings and feelings of worry, discomfort, and fatigue that many women experience in the first two weeks after giving birth. It’s normal for new moms to occasionally feel tired or confused due to the round-the-clock care babies need. However, if mood changes and feelings of anxiety or distress are severe or last more than two weeks after delivery, it may be a sign of postpartum depression. Women with postpartum depression generally will not feel better without treatment.
What are the signs and symptoms of perinatal depression?
Some women experience few symptoms of perinatal depression, while others experience many. Some of the more common symptoms include:
- persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood most of the day, almost every day, for at least two weeks
- Feeling hopeless or pessimistic
- Feeling irritable, frustrated, or restless
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
- Fatigue or abnormally low energy
- Restlessness or difficulty sitting
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Difficulty falling asleep (even when the baby is asleep), waking up early in the morning, or sleeping too much
- Abnormal changes in appetite or unplanned weight changes
- Physical aches or pains, headaches, muscle cramps, or digestive problems that have no obvious physical cause and do not go away with treatment.
- Difficulty in establishing emotional attachment with the baby
- Persistent doubt about the ability to care for the baby
- Thoughts of dying or harming yourself or the baby or attempting suicide
- Women who experience any of these symptoms should see a healthcare provider.
- A provider can determine if symptoms are due to perinatal depression.
What is postpartum psychosis?
Postpartum psychosis is a severe mental illness that can occur after childbirth. Women with postpartum psychosis may experience delusions (thoughts or beliefs that are not true), hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there), and mania (elevated, happy mood that often seems out of place). From reality), experience paranoia. Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency requiring hospitalization.
What are the risk factors for perinatal depression?
Perinatal depression is a medical condition that can affect any pregnant or postpartum woman or person, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income, culture, or education. A woman is not to blame or to blame for having perinatal depression: it is not something she did or did not do.
Perinatal depression does not have a single cause. Research shows that genetic and environmental factors play a role in causing this disorder. Specific factors affecting perinatal depression can include the following:
- Life stress (demands at work or past traumatic experiences)
- Physical and emotional needs of childbirth and caring for a new baby
- Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and after
- Additionally, women are at risk for perinatal depression if they have a personal or family history of depression or bipolar disorder or if they have experienced depression with a previous pregnancy. Women with a history of perinatal depression should consult with a healthcare provider to develop a plan for follow-up care if a depressive episode recurs.
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How is perinatal depression treated?
Treating perinatal depression is crucial for the well-being of the mother and her baby, as the condition can have serious effects on both. However, with the proper treatment, most women experience improvement in their symptoms.
Treatment for perinatal depression typically involves therapy, medication, or a combination of both.
Researchers are continually studying treatment options for perinatal depression. A healthcare provider can explain different treatments and assist you in choosing the best method based on your symptoms. Learn more about depression treatment methods.
Psychotherapy
Several types of psychotherapy (also called talk therapy or counseling) can help women with perinatal depression by teaching them new ways of thinking and behaving and helping them change habits that contribute to depression. Evidence-based treatments for perinatal depression include cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): With CBT, people learn to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve their feelings of depression and anxiety. People also learn different ways of reacting to situations. CBT can be done individually or with a group of people with similar concerns.
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Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): IPT is based on the idea that interpersonal and life events affect mood and vice versa. IPT aims to help people improve their communication skills in relationships, form social support networks, and develop realistic expectations to better cope with crises or other issues that contribute to their depression.
Medicine
Medications used for depression, known as antidepressants, can effectively treat perinatal depression when used alone or in combination with psychotherapy. Antidepressants work by altering the way the brain produces or uses certain mood or stress chemicals.
The effectiveness of antidepressants usually becomes noticeable between 4 and 8 weeks. Sleep, appetite, and concentration problems often improve before mood improves. It’s crucial to give a drug a chance to work before deciding whether it’s right for you. You may need to try several medications to find the one for you.
Note: In some cases, people under the age of 25 may experience an increase in suicidal thoughts or behavior while taking antidepressants, especially within the first few weeks of starting or changing the dosage. The FDA advises close monitoring of all patients, regardless of age, who are taking antidepressants, especially during the initial weeks of treatment.
How can family and friends help with perinatal depression?
It is important to understand that perinatal depression is a medical condition that affects the mother, child, and family, and treatment is focused on recovery.
Spouses, partners, family members, and friends may be the first to notice symptoms of depression in a new mother. There are several ways in which family and friends can be of assistance, including:
- Encouraging a conversation with a healthcare provider
- Help with appointments
- Provide emotional or practical support
- Helping with everyday tasks, such as looking after the baby or managing household responsibilities