Essay - Postpartum Depression Introduction Postpartum Depression Appears Shortly Before to Shortly...

Postpartum Depression

Introduction

***** depression appears shortly before to shortly after a woman has given birth. It is more common than commonly believed and can be serious. It can have negative effects on the woman's marriage ***** in fact on the entire family. Since depressi***** tends to recur, especially when not treated, postpartum depression can be a continuing concern for both the woman and her loved ones. (Georgiopoulos, 2001, JAMA, 2002)

***** depression (PPD) ***** a serious, common, ***** tre*****table condition seen frequently in the primary care setting. [1-3] The effects can ***** devastating for the entire family. ***** couple's relationship often suffers, [4] and women afflicted with PPD are at high risk for recurrent depression. (*****, 2001)

What is Postpartum Depression?

Researchers and doctors know that ***** develop symptoms of ***** about twice as ***** as men. ***** is believed that female hormones contribute to th***** in some way, as mood sw*****gs ***** been tied to variations in ***** menstrual cycle, pregnancy ***** *****, and the onset of menopause. Some experts also believe ***** the extra pressures in many women's lives as they juggle both jobs and home responsibilities, single motherhood, or caring for aged parents may contribute. (Strock, 2002)

***** very common for new mothers to experience mild ***** transient feelings of sadness, irritability or ********** right after giving birth. When these ***** are short-lived and not severe, *****'re *****ten referred ***** as the "baby blues," and considered a normal variation in mood. "Baby *****" pass quickly and cause no significant problem for either the ***** mother or her *****.

However, sometimes these symptoms are more marked, ***** last longer. They ***** meet the requirements for a diag*****sis of ***** postpartum depression, or in very severe situations, postpartum psychosis. (,OWH, ***** JAMA, 2002)

The symptoms of ***** depression are similar to those ***** major *****, but ***** label *****dicates its onset around the event of childbirth. It is easily detectable, ***** frequently not treated or under-treated. (Cohen, 2002) In some rare cases (perhaps one in 1,000 new mothers), the new mother develops postpartum psychosis. This develops quickly, usually *****in the first three months of ***** baby's life. These women experience a break with reality, including hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things that are not real), delusions (false beliefs), agitation, bizarre behavior, and thoughts about hurting the baby in addition to ***** depression. While much more rare than depression, postpartum ***** is a medical emergency usually requiring hospitalization. (*****, 2001, ***** 2002)

Causes

The explicit causes of postpartum depression are not completely known, but multiple factors are suspected, including psychosocial ***** and innate susceptibility. (Cohen, 2002) It is **********, but ***** demonstrated clearly in ***** research so far (*****2002), that the dramatic hormone changes that inevitably occur at ***** may play an important part. Estrogen and progesterone levels increase by 1000% during pregnancy and then rapidly drop off within 2***** hours of birth. (OWH, 2001) However, it is widely believed ***** these extreme ***** fluctuations put women at increased