After childbirth, many women experience mood swings, anxiety, and frequent fatigue. For many women, these symptoms last around two weeks before subsiding. When the symptoms persist and become severe, it’s time to consider the possibility of postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression affects 14.29% of women. People with postpartum depression suffer severe emotional lows, chronic fatigue, and persistent anxiety. These symptoms typically interfere with the care of their babies, which is one of the primary diagnostic markers of postpartum depression.
How Long Does It Last?
If the proper treatment is not administered, postpartum depression may last for months and sometimes years. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. The right treatments can help people with postpartum depression reduce symptoms and improve their babies’ health.
Recent mothers are urged to seek help for postpartum depression if they experience persistent sadness, lack of enthusiasm, and emptiness for more than two weeks. Studies have shown that women who were already depressed before giving birth are often at risk of postpartum depression.
Women with depression who were already receiving treatment for depression continued to experience postpartum symptoms for a year and some months after childbirth. Meanwhile, those with a history of depression who were not receiving any treatment for depression before giving birth experienced postpartum symptoms for up to 3 years after delivery.
Risk Factors Of Postpartum Depression
- A history of depression or experiencing depression before or during pregnancy
- History of bipolar disorder
- Family members diagnosed with depression or mental illness
- A traumatic event around the time of pregnancy, such as bereavement or loss of job
- Lack of support from family and friends during pregnancy
- Giving birth to a child with a health condition
- Abusing drugs or alcohol during pregnancy
Symptoms Of Postpartum Depression
- Feelings of sadness, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
- Having thoughts and fears of not being good enough to care for the baby
- Crying incessantly
- Feeling moody and angry
- Feeling restless
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irregular eating habits
- Experiencing pains and headaches without due cause
- Shying away from social activities and events that you used to find enjoyable
- Entertaining thoughts of harming the baby or yourself
- Having difficulty taking care of yourself and the baby
How Postpartum Depression Can Affect Your Life
PPD symptoms don’t just affect you. They affect those around you too. But you don’t have to suffer it alone. Often, those suffering fro PPD assume they’ve done something wrong to bring these feelings on themselves. But that’s not true. Postpartum depression can strike anyone and it isn’t a measure of your or your loved ones’ worth. There are many options for dealing with ppd. And the consequences of not dealing with it can be debilitating. Treatment can reduce the effect of your depression. Not getting treatment can ruin your relationship with :
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Your Partner
When you become withdrawn due to your PPD, it affects your relationship with your partner. When this goes on for a long time, it increases the chances of your partner developing depression. Parenthood isn’t just a frightening and potentially destabilizing time for mothers. Fathers can develop paternal depression during and after pregnancy, especially when their spouse is aloof or unable to maintain a relationship.
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Your Family And Friends
Your friends may soon notice your sudden withdrawal but may not know how best to reach out to you. If you’re aloof or unresponsive they may not understand that you’re going through something serious. This can set up a negative feedback loop in which your friends think you are less interested in connecting and reach out less, and you take that for their lack of interest in connecting and you feel further alienated.
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Your Child(Ren):
PPD can affect how you relate to your baby. Apart from acting how you physically take care of your baby, it creates a barrier and can obstruct the bond you were supposed to have with your baby. If you have older children, it may affect your relationship with them too.
Some studies reveal that PPD may have a long-term effect on the child and their social and emotional development. These children may grow up struggling with conditions like personality disorders and depression.
Conclusions
Postpartum depression is a psychological disorder that negatively affects the relationship between a mother and child and often her immediate friends and family. If this condition is not treated correctly, it could have long-term effects, with symptoms displaying over three years. In 2019, a study was conducted by the National Institute of Health on 654 women who delivered their babies by Cesarean section. During this study, it was discovered that ketamine infusion administered after delivery helped to reduce postpartum depression. Ketamine therapy has been effectively used to treat postpartum depression, with many women responding more positively than to antidepressants. Contact us today to learn more!
