Post Partum Depression Support Group

'Baby' or maternity blues are a mild and transitory form of 'moodiness' suffered by up to 80% of postpartum women. Fathers also suffer from postpartum depression. Symptoms typically last from a few hours to several days, and include tearfulness, irritability, hypochondriasis, sleeplessness, impairment of concentration, isolation and headache. The maternity blues are not considered a postpartum depressive disorder.

The diagnostic criteria for postpartum depression (PPD) are the same as for major depression, except that to distinguish PPD from the mild, transitory baby (maternity) blues, the symptoms must be present one month postpartum. Depression can also occur during pregnancy (ante-natal depression). Postpartum depression may occur up to one year after childbirth. PPD ranges from mild to suicidal.

There are other types of postpartum distress that do not involve depression. For example, the mother may present with postpartum anxiety and postpartum OCD (including pure-O OCD). Symptoms of postpartum OCD include recurring intrusive thoughts, obsessive thoughts, avoidance behaviour, fears, anxiety, and depression.

Postpartum women may also experience post traumatic stress disorder PTSD. PTSD includes two primary elements: (1) experiencing or witnessing an event involving actual or threatened danger to the self or others, and (2) responding with intense distress, helplessness or panic. The body will also work insufficiently, compared to its typical abilities. Symptoms of birth-related PTSD may include: Obsessive thoughts about the birth; feelings of panic when near the site where the birth occurred; feelings of numbness and detachment; disturbing memories of the birth experience; nightmares; flashbacks; sadness, fearfulness, anxiety or irritability.

Post-partum depression may lead mothers to be inconsistent with childcare. Women diagnosed with post-partum depression often focus more on the negative events of childcare, tending to make themselves have poor coping strategies.

There are four groups of coping methods, each divided into a different style of coping subgroups. Avoidance coping is one of the most common strategies used. It consists of denial and behavioral disengagement subgroups (for example, an avoidant mother might not respond to her baby crying). This strategy however, does not resolve any problems and ends up negatively impacting the mother’s mood, similarly of the other coping strategies used.

Four Coping Strategies:

* Avoidance Coping: denial, behavioral disengagement

* Problem-Focused Coping: active coping, planning, positive reframing

* Support Seeking Coping: emotional support, instrumental support

* Venting Coping: venting, self-blame

Treatments for PPD are largely the same as for clinical depression in general. If the cause of PPD can be identified, treatment should be aimed at the root cause of the problem.

Women need to be taken seriously when symptoms occur. [That is, she must take her symptoms seriously enough to tell her significant other, or a close friend, or her medical practitioner. Also, THEY must take her symptoms seriously as well.] Generally a combination of psychotherapy and medication can reduce symptoms. The ideal treatment plan includes: medical evaluation to rule out physiological problems; psychiatric evaluation; psychotherapy; possible medication; support group; home visit; healthy diet; consistent/ healthy sleep patterns.

It is critical that women being treated for postpartum depression prolong the treatment even after symptoms subside, because if treatment is ceased prematurely, sympoms can reoccur.