What´s Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbearing with an estimated prevalence of 19.2% in the first three months after delivery (1). Depressive episodes (major and mild) may be experienced by approximately half of women during the first postpartum year (1). Characterized by depressed mood, loss of pleasure or interest in daily activities, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, irritability, sleep and eating disturbances (2), its etiology is multi-faceted and complex (3;4).

Thesis: Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that can greatly effect new mothers. Knowing how to recognize their symptoms and treating it can greatly increase chances of a healthy, happy living.

The postpartum period is about going through change and transition from a woman to a new mother. This is a time where mothers restore muscle tone and connective tissue in the body after the birth of the baby. Although there is a dramatic change during the postpartum period, women’s body is nonetheless not fully stored to pre-pregnant physiology until about 6 months post-delivery (Osailan, 6). At this time, women need to receive special health and social support to prevent problems such as postpartum depression. During this period, culture plays a major role in the way a woman perceives and prepares for her birthing experience. In fact, the notions of birth and postnatal care vary considerably with cultural beliefs and traditional practices. Each culture has its own values, beliefs and practices related to pregnancy and birth (Osailan,1). In the United States, after a short hospital stay, moms and babies are sent home because it is expected for mothers to heal within 42 days after giving birth. Whereas in other societies like Mexico, the postpartum recovery is active long enough until the new mother is fully healed (Brenhouse). In the article, “Why Are America’s Postpartum Practices So Rough on New Mothers?” by Hilary Brenhouse, the author states, “With these rituals comes an acknowledgment, familial and federal, that the woman needs relief more at this time than at any other—especially if she has a career to return to—and that it takes weeks, sometimes months, to properly

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) categorizes postpartum depression as a subtype to major depression and has specifiers to the onset to categorize an episode of major depression that begins 4 weeks postpartum. According to the (DSM-IV) a person who suffers from major depressive disorder must have depression symptoms such as either have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities. This mood must represent a change from the person 's normal social, occupational, educational or other important functioning. These functions must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood.

Often the time after birth is a filled with joy and happiness due to the arrival of a new baby. However, for some mothers the birth of a baby leads to some complicated feelings that are unexpected. Up to 85% of postpartum woman experience a mild depression called “baby blues” (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, & Alden, 2012). Though baby blues is hard on these mothers, another form of depression, postpartum depression, can be even more debilitating to postpartum woman. Postpartum depression affects about 15% (Lowdermilk et al., 2012) of postpartum woman. This disorder is not only distressing to the mother but to the whole family unit. This is why it is important for the nurse to not only recognize the signs and symptoms of a mother with postpartum depression, but also hopefully provide preventative care for the benefit of everyone involved.

This journal article focuses on postpartum depression and how it differentiates from other disorders. This paticuarl article however focuses on defining the different types of depression within this catagorey and looks into clinical involvement as well as recognsisng risk elements and sysmtoms that allow it to be characterized from other mood and anxiety disorders. Beck (2006) finds that persons who where most at risk of this disorder most commently had stressful lives, with a history of mental illness. This article also concludes that postpartum depression can lead into server physosi, which is in need of immediate intervention and that this mental state can lead women to be dangerous to themselves of there children and clearly states that they should never be left alone. Overall this article is paticually usuful as a researcher as it clearly describes the differences in distinguishing the types of depression as well as the servierty of postpartum depression which can be underrecognsied.

Postpartum psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, has become the most underdiagnosed complication in the United States. It can lead to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development (Earls, 2010). Over 400,000 infants are born to mothers that are depressed. One of 7 new mothers (14.5%) experience depressive episodes that impair maternal role function. An episode of major or minor depression that occurs during pregnancy or the first 12 months after birth is called perinatal or postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers & Sit, 2006). Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others (Postpartum Depression). The six stages of postpartum are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and PTSD. These stages may affect any women regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status. However only a physician can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. It does not occur because of something a mother does or does not do, it’s a combination of physical and emotional factors. After childbirth, the levels of hormones in a woman’s body quickly drop; which may lead to chemical changes in her brain (Postpartum Depression). Unbalanced hormones may trigger mood swings.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 20 people suffer from depression (2014). Although widely recognized and somewhat easy to diagnose, depression is an ignored and almost hidden, disease. In women, the statistics are especially grim for those who are pregnant or were recently pregnant. A great number of women suffer from postpartum depression; an illness which is often overlooked, misdiagnosed and untreated. Postpartum depression (PPD) has been defined as an emotional disorder that occurs in an estimated 10-15% of all women after childbirth (Liberto, 2010). Postpartum depression not only impacts the mother, but can cause long-term psychological challenges for the baby and create emotional turmoil for all family members.

70 to 80 percent of women who have given birth experience what is know as “Baby blues,” (Piotrowski & Benson, 2015). These are mild symptoms of depression and usually go away within two weeks after giving birth. However, the symptoms of unspecified depressive disorder with peripartum onset also known as postpartum depression (PPD) can be more intense and last significantly longer than the “baby blues.” According to the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2013), postpartum depression occurs during pregnancy or in the 4 weeks following delivery. Postpartum depression has symptoms that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in the new mothers life and can include the inability to take care of the newborn or herself. The

Postpartum depression is a condition that differs from general depression for its different symptoms, and is associated with childbirth only, which allows it to be separated from the depression that may affect a woman at any other time.

Almost ten percent of recent mothers experience postpartum depression ((3)), occurring anytime within the first year after childbirth ((3)). The majority of the women have the symptoms for over six months ((2)) . These symptoms include

Infant mortality is the death of the child less than one year of age. It is one of the top leading causes of death accounting about 57% as of 2014. (1). Depression is the normal public health problem and postpartum depression is similar to that of depression and it usually affects the women after the child bearing stage beginning between 1 to 12 months after the birth of the baby. It usually causes symptoms like feeling worried, crying, staying away from the loved ones, feeling guilty and anger (3).All the women are at the risk of developing the conditions after the child bearing stage. At present the postpartum depression is not described as a disease, it is considered to be like a mood

Postpartum depression is more serious than postpartum blues and occurs in about 10 to 20 percent of new mothers, and is detected anywhere between the first three and six months after the birth of the child, but may not affect the mother until up to a year after the child is born. Symptoms of this condition include: sadness, loss of interest in normal activities, guilt, anxiety, tiredness, feeling like you"re not good enough, impaired concentration or memory, over concern for the baby or none at all, inability to cope, despondency or despair, hopelessness, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, bizarre or strange thoughts, or feeling " 'like you are going crazy.""(www.chss.iup.edu).

Mothers who have brought into this world a blessing have been preparing themselves for a big change in their life. They have been learning and educating themselves about how to be a good mother. Many mothers find it really hard to transition from being an independent woman without children to becoming a mother (Corrigan, Kwasky, & Groh, 2015). Adapting to motherhood can be a drastic change, and usually creates challenges that lead to feeling overwhelmed (Leger & Letourneau, 2015). When a newly mother begins experiencing stress or becomes emotional then there can be a possibility that they can encounter Postpartum Depression (Leger et al., 2015). Postpartum depression can be seen and experienced in many different ways, it all varies on every mother (Corrigan et al., 2015). Many different mental health issues can be seen including baby blues, postpartum depression, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the most serious, postpartum psychosis (Tam & Leslie, 2001).

Postpartum depression (PPD) exists as a part of the spectrum of major depression, coded with a modifier for postpartum onset which is defined as an episode of depression, mania, or