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For most women, having a baby is a very exciting, joyous, and often anxious time. But for women with postpartum, or peripartum, depression it can become very distressing and difficult. Postpartum depression is a serious, but treatable medical illness involving feelings of extreme sadness, indifference and/or anxiety, as well as changes in energy, sleep, and appetite. It carries risks for the mother and child.
See definition, symptoms, & treatment
Perinatal depression refers to depression that occurs during pregnancy or following childbirth. It affects more than one in nine new mothers and can be harmful not only for the mother, but also for the infant. Despite media attention and celebrities sharing about their experiences with peripartum depression, it very often goes unrecognized and untreated.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions and is the leading cause of disease burden worldwide. Older, isolated adults who have little regular social interaction may be particularly at risk. Researchers in Canada wanted to look at whether interventions that aim to facilitate interaction and connection among individuals could reduce depression.
Several organizations provide brief online screenings for depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental health conditions. More than one million people took screenings through the Mental Health America site alone in 2016.
Postpartum Progress
Postpartum Support International
Maya is a 32-year-old fit, vibrant lawyer. She had been married for more than two years and was expecting her first child, a baby boy. She had a history of depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
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MAY 7, 2019
Minnesota Public Radio News
Next month, the first and only FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression will hit the market in the U.S. It's needed. Up to 1 in 7 women experiences depression after her baby's birth — making it one of the most common complications of pregnancy. The drug offers almost immediate relief. Some women reported a mood change in as little as 48 hours — a huge improvement over the current treatment of conventional antidepressants, which can take a month or more to kick in. But the new drug brings its own set of hurdles. It has to be administered through an IV for 60 continuous hours, and it's estimated to cost $34,000 for one treatment. Will that keep it out of reach for those who need it most?
MAY 2, 2019
USA TODAY
It's hard to imagine Chrissy Teigen as anything other than happy-go-lucky, but the mom of two struggled with postpartum depression after welcoming her first child, Luna. The model sat down with the "Today" show for Women's Health Month to share how being open about postpartum depression allowed her to not feel alone. "I didn't really realize it until I'd written an article with Glamour Magazine and spoken out about it how many women are going through this," Teigen said referring to the first time she shared her battle with postpartum depression. "I think more than anything I've ever done, more women on the street come up to me and talk about that article than anything else." 'I just assumed that was motherhood'.
APR 20, 2019
Washington Post
Symptoms of the illness can include frequent tearfulness, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue and, in rare instances, thoughts of self-harm. Researchers from Northwestern University, in January, identified four risk factors that may help physicians and mental-health professionals predict the seriousness of postpartum depression. The factors are: education, the number of children a woman has, ability to function at work and at home, and depression severity at four to eight weeks postpartum. The study findings show that postpartum depression can vary in severity, which can affect the type of treatment a woman might need to recover..
Physician Reviewed
Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H. March 2017