Post-Partum Depression is a form of clinical depression that is triggered by the hormone changes associated with the childbirth process. Situational and life stresses can contribute to the risk of PPD. There are a few different “flavors” of PPD that vary from the mild to the very severe.
Post Partum Blues:
What It Is: Not a true clinical depression, Post Partum Blues is the result of the normal post-partum adjustment to the intense hormone shifts that occur after childbirth. Characteristically, the Blues hit 3-5 days after giving birth and resolve, on their own, within two weeks.
Who Gets It: 80% of new mothers will experience the baby blues.
Signs and Symptoms: Mood swings, feeling weepy, some women compare it to the hormone swings caused by PMS.
Treatment: Most often, time is the only treatment. If the Blues continue beyond the first two weeks, PPD should be suspected instead and treatment should be sought.
Post Partum Depression:
What It Is: PPD is a true serious depression with traits and symptoms similar to classic clinical depression. Post Partum Depression tends to last longer than the Baby Blues and may not resolve on its own
Who Gets It: 10-20% of new mothers will experience PPD.
Signs and Symptoms: excessive preoccupation with or fears about the child’s health, thoughts of harming the baby, drastic changes in energy level, mood or appetite, symptoms should be present for longer than two weeks after childbirth.
Treatment: psychotherapy alone may help many cases of PPD, antidepressant medications are available to help combat PPD but should be used in conjunction with on-going therapy. Frequent socialization of the mother, exercise, proper nutrition and avoidance of caffeine can all help alleviate some cases of PPD.
Birth-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
What It Is: This is often unacknowledged condition where the aspects of the birth experience, itself, lead one to experience PTSD beginning days, weeks months or even years after childbirth and lasting until the feelings of the issues surrounding the birth are resolved. Rarely medical treatment may be required and occasionally Birth-Related PTSD may resemble or be classified as PPD erroneously.
Who Gets It: 7% or more of mothers will experience birth-related PTSD and many more will experience birth-related emotional trauma.
Signs and Symptoms: reliving the emotional trauma in one’s head, flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety or panic response to objects, smells, places or people associated with the birth, desire not to discuss the birth, difficulty sleeping or concentration, agitation, sudden bouts of tears or anger, a feeling of being “on guard” of themselves or their new baby at all times (hyper vigilance) and in extreme situations, one may disassociate themselves from the trauma entirely.
Treatment: treatment most often includes trauma counseling but may also include self-help, birth trauma support groups, or medical support.
Post Partum Psychosis:
What It Is: The scariest of them all, PPP is rare but serious. Onset is fast and furious – usually resulting in a full psychosis within the first few weeks after childbirth. PPP results are unlikely to find resolution without medical treatment.
Who Gets It: One tenth of 1% of new Mothers will experience PPP
Signs and Symptoms: frantic energy, refusal to eat, confusion, memory loss, incoherence, paranoia, irrationality, extreme preoccupation with otherwise trivial issues, delusions, hallucinations
Treatment: hospitalization, mood stabilizer, antipsychotic or antidepressant medications
For more information on depression and how to deal with it, visit our Mental Health Blog!