Postpartum depression - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

It is absolutely normal to feel a flurry of emotions after giving birth to a baby, ranging from happiest and excitement to anxiousness and fear. But sometimes one may have mood swings and have crying bouts.This is generally normal and occurs 1 or 2 days after delivery but disappears in a week or two. Anything that lasts beyond that period may be a sign of postpartum depression in the new mother.

Causes of postpartum depression:

- Sudden drop in hormone(estrogen and progesterone) level of the mother.

- Stress.

- Lack of sleep and fatigue.

- Lack of emotional and physical support to the new mother.

Symptoms of postpartum depression:

- Sudden bouts of crying episodes that happen throughout the day.

- Lack of sleep (insomnia) or excessive sleep.

- Loss of appetite or excessive eating.

- Inability to perform small mundane tasks.

- Feeling of exhaustion and fatigue all the time.

- Inability to bond with the baby.

- Suicidal thoughts.

- Thoughts about harming oneself or the baby.

- Feeling of worthlessness and loss of identity.

- Inability to bond with family members and friends.

Treatment of postpartum depression :

- Timely intervention , counseling and antidepressant medications if needed.

- Support ,love and care from immediate family members by giving much needed rest to the new mother, giving her a shoulder to cry on and helping her will the baby and the household chores goes a long way in helping patients with postpartum depression.

If untreated the condition can lead to chronic (long term) depression and in some cases may develop into postpartum psychosis , a condition on which the patient starts hallucinating about people and things in general.

Understanding and support of family members is a must for new mothers suffering from postpartum depression.