Roga
Karina
Dragomanov
National Pedagogical University
The
Institute of Corrective Pedagogy and Psychology, student
Pet’ko Lyudmila,
Scientific supervisor,
Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Dragomanov
National Pedagogical University (Ukraine,
Kyiv)
POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AS A
MOOD DISORDER
Ðîãà Êàðèíà
Íàöèîíàëüíûé
ïåäàãîãè÷åñêèé óíèâåðñèòåò èìåíè Ì.Ï.Äðàãîìàíîâà, ²íñòèòóò
êîðåêöèîííîé ïåäàãîãèêè è ïñèõîëîãèè (Óêðàèíà,
ã. Êèåâ)
Ïåòüêî Ëþäìèëà,
ê.ïåä.í., äîöåíò ÍÏÓ èìåíè
Ì.Ï.Äðàãîìàíîâà (Óêðàèíà, ã. Êèåâ)
Postpartum
depression effects women of all ages, races and economic backgrounds. For most
families, the birth of a baby means a serious lack of sleep, mounds of dirty
diapers and lots and lots of joy. But for at least one in eight new moms, the
birth of a child can trigger deep depression during that first year. Postpartum
depression is the most common complication of childbirth [4; 6; 8].
Postpartum
depression is a mood disorder that begins after childbirth and usually lasts beyond six weeks. The onset of postpartum depression
tends to be gradual and may persist for many months, or develop into a second
bout following a subsequent pregnancy. Postpartum depression affects
approximately 15% of all childbearing women. Mild to moderate cases are
sometimes unrecognized by women themselves. Many women feel ashamed if they are
not coping and so may conceal their difficulties.
Postpartum
depression is often divided into two types: early onset and late onset. An early onset most often seems like the
"blues," a mild brief experience during the first days or weeks after
birth. During the first week after the birth up to 80% of mothers will
experience the "baby blues." Late
onset appears several weeks after the birth. This involves a slowly growing
feeling of sadness, depression, lack of energy, chronic tiredness, inability to
sleep, change in appetite, significant weight loss or gain, and difficulty
caring for the baby [2].
Postpartum
depression symptoms may include: loss of appetite, insomnia, intense
irritability and anger, overwhelming fatigue, loss of interest in sex, lack of
joy in life, feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy, severe mood swings,
difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawal from family and friends, thoughts
of harming yourself or your baby [3].
It
is said in some articles that postpartum psychosis is
most likely to affect women with bipolar disorder
or a history of postpartum psychosis. Symptoms, which usually develop during the first 3 postpartum weeks
(as soon as 1 to 2 days after childbirth), include: 1) feeling removed from
your baby, other people, and your surroundings (depersonalization), 2)
disturbed sleep, even when your baby is sleeping, 3) extremely confused and
disorganized thinking, increasing your risk of harming yourself, your baby, or
another person, 4) drastically changing moods and bizarre behavior, 5) extreme
agitation or restlessness, 6) unusual hallucinations,
often involving sight, smell, hearing, or touch, 7) delusional
thinking that isn't based in reality [6; 7].
Postpartum
psychosis is a severe but extremely rare (1 or 2 women in 1,000) disorder that
can develop in the postpartum period. This illness is characterized by a loss
of contact with reality for extended periods of time. Symptoms usually occur
during the first few weeks after delivery and include hallucinations,
delusions, rapid mood swings, and suicidal/infanticidal thoughts or actions.
Postpartum psychosis is a very serious emergency and requires immediate help [5]. Postpartum
psychosis is considered an emergency requiring immediate medical treatment.
Women are more at risk of severe mental illness after giving birth than
at any other time in their lives. In the worst cases it can lead to postpartum
psychosis, also known as puerperal psychosis, a mental illness which affects
one in 500 new mothers and can result in suicide or them killing their baby.
BBC Newsnight has spoken to people affected by this devastating but
poorly understood condition, which often goes undetected because doctors and
midwives can fail to recognise the symptoms [8].
It is interesting to notice some myths and facts about Postpartum
Depression:
1) Myth: It will go away if
I just “tough it out” or ignore it. Fact:
Acknowledging the way you feel and getting help for postpartum depression
(PPD) will help speed your recovery; 2) Myth: Having postpartum
depression means that I am a weak person. Fact: Strong and
intelligent women can have PPD. You did nothing wrong, and you did not cause
it; 3) Myth: If I take medication for postpartum depression, I
cannot breastfeed. Fact: There are medications
used to treat PPD that are compatible with breastfeeding. Check with your
health care provider and/or lactation consultant; 4)
Myth: Postpartum
depression can happen to me only in the first few months after birth. Fact:
It can happen during pregnancy or any time during your baby’s first year; 5) Myth: Because I did not
have postpartum depression with my first baby, I probably will never have it. Fact:
Postpartum depression can happen with the birth of any baby [1].
Bibliography
2. Postpartum
Depression [Web site]. – Access mode: http://medicaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/postpartum+depression
3. Postpartum
Depression. Symptoms. [Web site]. – Access mode: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartumdepression/DS00546/DSECTION=symptoms
7. Sadock BJ, et al. (2007). Postpartum depression. In Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, Behavioral
Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry, 10th ed., 2007. – PP. 859–869. Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.