Postpartum Depression And Its Cause
Article by Josephine Osborn
Pregnancy is a time of joy for a couple because the incoming child embodies their love for each other. A woman undergoes a lot of changes physically and emotionally during the period. The changes that she run into may create stress and anxiety within her. Women are at risk of developing depression during or even after pregnancy. There are a lot of misconceptions about postpartum depression or PPD. Women who catch this illness are most often blamed for being unable to take care of their newly born. Some women are even ashamed of admitting that they have PPD because they are afraid that their family would not understand. Others who are not familiar with the illness may regard women who have it as bad mothers. Women can now address this problem by taking antidepressants. The use of antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs can even be interchanged because they have the same level of effect, according to a recent study. The oldest reference to PPD dates back to 460 BC when Hippocrates thought that it is due to the mucus and blood that were not discharged after birth. The understanding of the illness has grown since those times. PPD is believed to be a product of the hormonal changes after delivery. During pregnancy certain hormones like estrogen and progesterone are at their highest and is kept that way until delivery. PPD is thought to develop due to the rapid normalization of the two hormones after delivery. The changes can illicit different reactions from different women. Psychologists often say that knowing the symptoms of mental illness as soon as it starts can greatly influence the recovery of the individual. Those who are suffering with PPD may slip to psychosis if they don’t received treatment. Doctors were consulted by women who have felt a lack of connection with their baby after birth. They were readily diagnosed and given treatment, including medicine and counseling. Women who are planning to have a baby while taking antidepressants have consulted their doctors to know if they can continue taking their medicine. Not all antidepressants are safe to take during pregnancy, though. Paxil is seen to have higher risk of birth defects than other antidepressants according to two separate studies. Pregnant women who are taking Paxil are worried about the Paxil birth defects that are associated with the drug. Taking Paxil during the first trimester has lead to the development of babies with heart defects, according to the reports.
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