Postpartum depression: symptoms and treatment

By Cristiano Antonino On Mar 1, 2023

Let’s talk about post-partum depression: in many cultures, including Western ones, the birth of a child is always welcomed and seen as a happy event, an occasion for celebration

This idealised image of motherhood is, however, sometimes in stark contrast with the intimate experience of the mother herself, who can easily experience symptoms of postpartum depression.

Baby blues and postpartum depression

The baby blues

Becoming a mother entails many changes in the woman’s life (the constant demands of caring for a newborn baby, a new organisation of her time and habits, difficulties at work, etc.) and that of the couple (perceived lack of support from partners, difficulties in experiencing sexuality, changes in roles, etc.).

In the days immediately following childbirth, it is therefore considered absolutely ‘physiological’ to have a period characterised by a drop in mood, emotional instability, crying fits, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

This is the so-called baby blues, referring to the state of melancholy that characterises the phenomenon).

More than 70% of women experience and manifest symptoms associated with mild postpartum depression, but characterised by transience.

They generally begin 2-3 days after childbirth and tend to disappear within a few days.

These do not necessarily develop into a full-blown disorder.

Postpartum depression

Genuine post-partum or post-natal depression (PND), which instead seems to affect about 10-20% of women in the period immediately following childbirth, is usually characterised by a number of symptoms.

Symptoms of postpartum depression

feelings of sadness
feelings of guilt
anxiety
feeling of worthlessness
difficulty concentrating and making even trivial decisions
sleep and appetite disorders
suicidal or death thoughts
loss of interests and lack of energy

The symptoms of postnatal depression are not transient and can persist (varying in intensity) for many years.

They can therefore have more or less direct consequences not only for the mother, but also for the child and the entire family unit.

Risk factors for postnatal depression

Biological

sleep deprivation
physical and emotional exhaustion
hormonal changes

Psychological

personal history of anxiety and/or depression
having suffered from the baby blues
low self-esteem
self-evaluation, inadequacy, dissatisfaction

Psychosocial

young age
low socio-economic status
stressful life events
poor psychological support from partner or relationship problems
inadequate family/social support

Postpartum depression care

Medication

In cases where postnatal depression has been diagnosed, the tendency is to rely on antidepressant medication.

However, it is important to bear in mind the possible and sometimes important side effects on both mother and baby, especially in the case of breastfeeding.

Most drugs are in fact contraindicated for breast-feeding and, in any case, all the molecules taken by the mother pass at least in part, through the blood, into the milk.

Interrupting breastfeeding in order to take psychotropic drugs can have an even more depressing effect, undermining the new mother’s sense of personal worth.

Psychotherapy

It is therefore much better to get help from a good psychotherapist, with a cognitive-behavioural orientation, who can help the woman overcome the symptoms of post-partum depression.

He or she can bring her back to the condition of being able to enjoy her new life, albeit with all its limitations and changes.

Much is being done at a general level to identify and support the so-called ‘persons at risk’ of post-partum depression (psycho-educational meetings prior to childbirth, routine screening in the weeks immediately following childbirth, accompaniment and support in newborn care for women who request it after childbirth, by the National Health Service, etc.).

The role of health professionals (gynaecologists, midwives, etc.)

However, the fact remains that postnatal depression is often not recognised in time. This is partly because of its insidious onset and partly because most new mothers tend to hide their symptoms of postnatal depression.

Very few spontaneously seek the help of a specialist, so as to reduce their suffering and limit what may inevitably become the consequences that this disorder may have on mother and child.

It is therefore crucial to be early, to have the opportunity to talk to professionals in the field (gynaecologists, midwives, nurses, general practitioners, etc.).

These will be able to refer interested women to psychotherapists specialised in treating post-partum depression.

What Is Postpartum Depression?

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