A separate study shows that a drop in insulin that most birth-mothers experience may be a cause. Any drop in insulin lowers the serotonin in the brain, and that lowered level of serotonin has long been known to impact mood disorders (Lane, 2007)
Medications are usually less costly than psychotherapy as well, and they take less time to apply. With severe depression, postpartum psychosis, or poor response to medication, it is essential, in most cases, to add psychotherapy to the treatment (Leopold & Zoschnick, n
PPD is more serious than baby blues. As a matter of fact, many of the signs and symptoms are the same as in an individual suffering from major depression, which includes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, along with behavior changes like different sleeping and eating habits (Rogge, 2008)
Lee Cohen reports in the February 01, 2002 issue of OB GYN News, that antidepressants for postpartum depression should be considered the treatment of choice, and that nonpharmacologic therapies, such as interpersonal psychotherapy may also help. Although all antidepressants are secreted into breast milk, the amount of infant exposure is extremely low thus nursing mothers should not be concerned (Cohen pp)
Neill Epperson reports that postpartum major depression, PMD, occurs in approximately 10% of childbearing women, and may begin anywhere from 24 hours to several months after delivery. Epperson cautions that before a definitive diagnosis of PMD is made, it is important to rule out any medical condition such as thyroid dysfunction or anemia (Epperson pp)
.and she's got huge expectations about what it will be like," and reality is less like a Gerber baby food commercial and more like Marine boot camp than most new mothers expect (Goldman pp)
In fact, rates of infanticide associated with untreated postpartum psychosis have been estimated to be nearly 4%, and because the mother is at risk for harming herself or the baby, postpartum psychosis is considered a medical emergency, with most patients treated in an inpatient setting with neuroleptic agents and mood stabilizers (Seehusen pp). In the April 01, 2005 issue of Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Kathie Records revealed the findings of her study, using a psychophenomenological design, in which investigators examined reports from seven clients with a psychiatric diagnosis of postpartum depression and the role life experiences played in their labor, delivery, and postpartum periods (Records pp)
Postpartum Depression According to the article by Dean Seehusen in the February 01, 2004 issue of Southern Medical Journal, postpartum depression, PPD, is present in 10 -20% of women in the United States within the first six months of delivery, and may be 25% or higher in women with a history of postpartum depression after a previous delivery. Moreover, more than 50% of all women who develop postpartum depression still suffer symptoms a year later (Seehusen pp)
Its recorded prevalence has ranged dramatically, from some reports of as low as 5.5%, and others as high as 25% (Lee et al
250). Mothers are at increased risk of developing depression when they have infants that are of low birth weight, high risk pregnancies, prematurity, poor motor functioning, and neonatal irritability (Besser, Priel & Wiznitzer 2002, p
Common symptoms associated with postpartum depression include irritability, sadness, guilt, low self-esteem, inability to be comforted, emptiness, social withdrawal, feelings of inadequacy with regard to caretaking of the baby, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, anxiety, and fatigue, episodes of crying and decreased libido. Although a number of risk factors have been associated with the onset of postpartum depression, the cause of PPD still remain not well understood (Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky 1987)
There are a number of scientific and empirical studies and peer reviewed scholarly literature in support of the notion that postpartum depression is a treatable condition using a variety of methodologies. Current Understanding & Treatment of Postpartum Depression The caregiver infant relationship has been described as one of the most significant relational units nested within a complex paradigm of interacting individual, ecological, and societal factors that are assistive in shaping developmental outcomes (Goodman 2007, p
Postpartum Depression Past and Current Understanding of Postpartum Depression: Comparative Analysis of "The "Yellow Wallpaper Postpartum depression (PPD) also referred to as postnatal depression, is defined as a form of clinical depression which may affect women, and to a lesser degree men, subsequent to the birth of a child in most instances. Recent empirical studies report prevalence rates among women from approximately 5 to 25%; however methodological differences in the studies make the actual rate of prevalence unclear (Kinnaman & Jacobs 2006)
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892) is a first person description of her own experiences as articulated in her journal and narrated by her. Gilman is reported to be suffering with some form of 'nervous depression' (Knight 1997); however, literary scholars have determined her condition to be postpartum depression
Comparative Analysis with "The Yellow Wallpaper" The kind of care the woman in the short story received was really no medical care at all; nor was there any psychological intervention provided as is typically with cases of postpartum depression today. Scott (2006) in her iteration regarding "The Yellow Wallpaper" maintains that the slightly hysterical propensity in which the main character is afflicted and displays as well as the fact that the narrator is required to acquiesce to societal pressures and adjust her condition to her circumstances is described as aversive by Scott (Knittel 2006)
Because of the increased levels of understanding with regard to the maternal infant connection and the significant impact postpartum depression has on the relationship, the call for more comprehensive treatment and intervention have been posited. Moreover, such interventions would necessarily consider the ecological factors such as socioeconomic status that may well serve to exacerbate the effects of maternal or postpartum depression on infant development as well as restrict or impeded access to effective psychosocial care (Thompson & Fox 2010, p
A seventh role, technical expert, was added to this list at a later date. Stress is widely believed to be a significant risk factor for depression (Choi et al
When this dynamic unfolds, treatment may involve the use of anti-depressant medications, maternal health and nutrition instruction, promoting breast feeding if still possible, encouraging strong family and social support ties, and parenting classes, all in an effort to foster reattachment. A recent meta-analysis of studies reattachment interventions revealed the importance of informational, instrumental, emotional, esteem/appraisal, and network support for increasing breast feeding prevalence among teen mothers and lengthening the time before weaning (Grassley, 2010)