Facts About Postpartum Depression in Women

It’s a known fact that one in seven women are affected by Postpartum Depression every day. The most important thing is to not make any assumptions and to seek medication. There is a cure for PPD, but it is also important to talk it out.

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum Depression, also known as PPD, is a long-lasting emotional distress, typically after childbirth or during pregnancy. Pregnancy comes with many unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, anxiety, and the most common side effect, cravings. It is statistically a very well-known disorder because one in seven new moms depict signs of PPD.

Postpartum affects mostly women who were unprepared for pregnancy, women who did not want the pregnancy, and those who were to some extent hopeless during the birth period. It is one of the many ‘baby blues’ – baby blues being the effects of childbirth. PPD is a real disorder that needs medication and if not treated, can last for years.

Postpartum Depression Symptoms

The most common signs of depression are; anxiety, sadness, isolation, laziness, and a negative attitude toward people. PPD, however, has very unique and severe symptoms. Its major symptoms include:

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• Intense and prolonged crying
• Hopelessness and a deep lack of motivation
• Withdrawal from your newborn or thoughts of hurting your baby or spouse
• Insomnia and laziness at all times (inability to do tasks that were easily done before the pregnancy)
• Lack of appetite or eating a lot at times
• Overthinking and absent-mindedness – forgetfulness at times too
• Hallucinations and loss of confidence
• Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting yourself
• Slowed decision-making and loss of concentration

What causes Postpartum Depression?

• Pre-pregnancy anxiety or depression
• Pregnancy strains due to changes that come with the newborn
• Increased baby chores like; feeding, cleaning, and putting the child to sleep, especially for first-time moms
• Any family issues that were experienced during or after the pregnancy, e.g., the death of a family member or someone close to the family, and marital fights
• Financial constraints on either of the spouses’ sides
• Giving birth to a disabled baby
• Family history of anxiety disorder
• Abandonment by family or partner
• Complications during pregnancy

Prevention and Control of PPD

There is no known prevention method for PPD. Celibacy and avoiding pregnancy may be the only way of preventing PPD, but this is a very far-fetched way of preventing it. Hence the assumption that there is no known way of preventing PPD disorder. There are, however, numerous ways of controlling PPD, such as:
Talking it out: A problem half-shared is a problem half-solved. If you believe that you have emotional distress, find people with whom you can share it like friends, family, and professional psychiatrists.
Exercise: Take time out of your day to exercise. There are numerous ways to exercise, like; yoga, running, hitting the gym, and meditation. Through exercising, your mind is set free from negative thoughts that may have caused PPD, and exercising helps you keep fit too.

House Assistance: House chores can be tiring, especially after childbirth. These tasks can be delegated to professional house managers or family friends; this helps reduce hopelessness or any other negative feelings toward babies.
Plan your life: Failing to plan is planning to fail. It is advisable to plan how you handle your daily tasks, either by keeping a diary or a notebook. Write down all the things you need to do on each particular day. This reduces the likelihood of absentmindedness and speeds decision-making.
Support Groups: Finding support groups is an effective way of controlling PPD. Talking to other people who may have gone through PPD disorder helps with your recovery journey. Being around people who are as vulnerable as you also increases your confidence.

Unknown Facts About PPD

It’s two-sided: Men’s mental health has been completely ignored in society. Men are believed to have supernatural emotional strength. This is, however, not the case; even male parents go through PPD. A newborn changes the lives of the female mom and her male counterpart. Men have trouble adjusting, especially financially, and this may trigger emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, and abandoning their wives and babies, among other side effects of PPD.
It affects the growth of an infant: 0 to 5 years is considered the critical age for a child. Trauma or anything negative that happens to an infant between zero and five years old ends up ruining the rest of his or her life. Infants need to be handled with care, any lack of care from the parent’s side, like PPD disorder, may affect the child later on in his or her life.

If symptoms persist, medication is required for all PPD patients. Recovery is possible, but only through the proper channels. According to CNN, the first drugs for PPD were approved for use. Drug makers Sage Therapeutics and Biogen have discovered a drug named Zuranolone under the brand name Zurzuvae, which is expected to launch late in 2023. Therapy was the only known way of controlling PPD, and Zuranolone could go a long way towards fastening the recovery process of PPD. It has been recently approved in the US and is therefore not available in other continents that probably need it most.
We hope, however, that through patient access programs, access will be available soon in third-world countries. Antidepressant drugs can help too, PPD is a form of depression like any other, and thus patients can be prescribed antidepressants.