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Postnatal depression
Category: Illness or disabilities
Type
Involuntary
Introduction and description
Postnatal depression, is a type of clinical depression occurring after childbirth.
Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual prevalence rate unclear.
In the United States, postpartum depression is one of the leading causes of the murder of children less than one year of age which occurs in about 8 per 100,000 births.
So it is a very serious problem.
Symptoms
Symptoms may include sadness, low energy, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced desire for sex, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability.
While many women experience self-limited, mild symptoms postpartum, postpartum depression should be suspected when symptoms are severe and are long lasting. In about 1 to 2 per 1,000, postpartum depression results in postpartum psychosis.
The effects are made far worse if the person is without adequate support from family, friends and partner. A man who walks away at the sight of his own baby, for example, is a cruel man indeed.
The emotional effects of postpartum depression can resut in sleep deprivation, and anxiety and a feeling of loss of control over life.
Causes
From the research papers on PubMed, we have been able to identify two main causes.
Endorphin fluctuations
One cause of PND appears to be the change in endorphin levels.
We have looked at this on the site in the context of childbirth, which touches on it briefly, but in more detail within the context of pregnancy.
Endorphins are endogenous - are part of our own body chemicals. They resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being. The main reason why endorphins are released naturally by the body during pregnancy, is because the body goes through some quite horrendous changes during pregnancy and without the endorphins, the mum could be in fairly constant pain and distress.
Once the baby has been born, however, there is no need for them and the body reduces them. Unfortunately if the body does this too quickly and pregnancy has been blissful because of them, the person suffers withdrawal symptoms.
This problem will have been exacerbated if the childbirth was accompanied by strong painkillers - such as morphine or hydrocodone or similar. Double withdrawal symptoms.
Opiates in general are extremely addictive, but the body adjusts to their presence very quickly and reduces the number of receptors. One might look at it this way - to help draw a comparison which might have some meaning - this is the way a heroin addict feels if he tries to go 'cold turkey'.
The kind thing to do might be to give the new Mum a small opium pipe to smoke [we jest] but in the end there is a need to get off the opiates - endogenous and exogenous.
This is key, do not try to feed the low by giving any form of opiates, this includes codeine. NO CODEINE.
Estrogen imbalance
The other major cause appears to be estrogen imbalance. For more details of this problem see Estrogen imbalance. For more general information on Estrogen itself and its role in the reproductive system see Estrogen.
Treatment
Find which of the two causes it might be. Estrogen imbalance can actually be helped with food - phytoestrogens.
Sometimes the same food helps correct the endorphin imbalance at the same time.
Love, empathy, understanding and support make a great deal of difference. You just need time and sleep.
Related observations
Healing observations
- Does aerobic exercise reduce postpartum depressive symptoms? a systematic review and meta-analysis 027725
- Dr William Sargant – Casting out demons in church 024394
- Effects of Implementing the Alexander Technique on Enjoying the Sense of Motherhood in the Postpartum Period 027451
- Examining the short-term anxiolytic and antidepressant effect of Floatation-REST 027617
- Gardening as a therapeutic intervention in mental health 027733
- How group singing facilitates recovery from the symptoms of postnatal depression: a comparative qualitative study 027728
- Is Postpartum Depression a Disease of Modern Civilization? 027731
- Nutrition and the psychoneuroimmunology of postpartum depression 027723
- Out of the Blue: Creating a Postpartum Depression Support Group 027729
- Shall we dance? Music as a port of entrance to maternal-infant intersubjectivity in a context of postnatal depression 027727
- The effectiveness of mindfulness training on reducing the symptoms of postpartum depression 027730
- The Healing Power of Sleep 026790
- The role of exercise in treating postpartum depression: a review of the literature 027724
- The role of midwives in facilitating recovery in postpartum psychosis 024034
- Time for Me: the arts as therapy in postnatal depression 027732
- Transdermal estradiol for postpartum depression: a promising treatment option 017934
Hallucination
- Clinical course of illness in women with early onset puerperal psychosis: a 12-year follow-up study 017916
- The role of midwives in facilitating recovery in postpartum psychosis 024034