What is Postpartum Depression?
There are events that significantly impact people's lives. Becoming a mother is also a major life event for women. The changes that begin during pregnancy continue after the baby arrives. Some mothers struggle to adapt to the responsibilities and fluctuating hormones that come with being a mother. After giving birth, women experience a minor mood disturbance in their , called the baby blues. While it generally resembles symptoms of depression, it's a milder and shorter-lived, temporary condition. This is due to the body's attempt to adapt to the sudden drop in hormones after birth, which were elevated during pregnancy. Therefore, the baby blues are considered normal. We mentioned that the baby blues are temporary. However, some mothers struggle to overcome this temporary state. This disorder, with more severe and longer-lasting symptoms, is called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression occurs within a year after birth. The mother feels anxious, worried, unhappy, helpless, and lonely. During this period, the mother develops thoughts or obsessions about harming herself, the baby, or others. This also disrupts the mother's ability to function in her daily life. Therefore, postpartum depression is a condition that absolutely must be treated.
Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression presents with symptoms similar to other types of depression. However, postpartum depression also has its own unique symptoms. Depression, which we call major depressive disorder, is a mood disorder in which the individual feels intense unhappiness. Major depression presents fundamental functional impairments. These include mood disturbances, behavioral disturbances, and changes in attitudes, thoughts, and physical appearance. Mood disturbances manifest as sadness, grief, guilt, irritability, and shame. The individual sometimes does not see themselves as worthwhile. They see themselves as the cause of their unhappiness and blame themselves. Behavioral disturbances manifest as irritability, restlessness, and slowed movement and speech. They do not want to do things they once enjoyed again. Even if they do, they do not feel happy. Attitudinal changes include feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem, and negative expectations for the future. They believe they will never be happy and that none of the feelings they experienced while depressed will go away. Changes in thinking include self-criticism, slowed thinking, cognitive distortions, pessimism, and difficulties with concentration, memory, and decision-making. Finally, physical changes include: There are irregularities in eating and drinking, sleep problems, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and decreased energy.
What Causes Postpartum Depression?
To be diagnosed with major depression, an individual must experience many of these symptoms for at least two weeks. This mood disorder is twice as common in women as in men. These symptoms are also present in postpartum depression. There are certain symptoms that distinguish postpartum depression from major depression. These are as follows:
The mother feels inadequate to care for the baby: During this period, the mother feels inadequate as a new mother. This feeling of inadequacy is accompanied by feelings of guilt.
Constant crying or walking around in a tearful state: During this period, mothers experience crying behavior due to mood swings, also influenced by hormones.
Feelings of guilt and inadequacy: The responsibilities of motherhood can be overwhelming for new mothers. They may feel they're neglecting both themselves and their baby, leaving them feeling both inadequate and guilty.
Difficulty in concentrating: During this period, the child may have problems focusing his/her attention while doing activities such as reading a book or watching a movie, which he/she could do easily before.
