Symptoms Of Postpartum Depression

True postpartum depression affects 10 to 15 percent of women who give birth. Postpartum depression is best described as the baby blues that deepen and last beyond the first month. Women who suffer from postpartum depression may feel profound sadness, have obsessive thoughts, and be unable to shake troublesome worries.

The appearance of postpartum depression varies from woman to woman. It may appear as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsiveness, or any combination of these. Women may be suffering from postpartum depression if they feel depressed, lose interest in daily life and activities they used to find pleasurable, and suffer from at least four of the following symptoms almost continuously for at least two weeks:

• Extreme fatigue/sluggishness/exhaustion

• Hopelessness and helplessness

• Sleeplessness despite exhaustion

• Changes in appetite (i.e., loss of appetite, food cravings)

• Anxiety, fear, guilt

• Difficulty concentrating

• Difficulty making decisions

• Heart palpitations, tingling, numbness, or feelings of
  dread, all of which signal a panic attack

Impulses to harm baby or self

Disinterest in personal hygiene/appearance

Obsession with baby’s health

• Inability to cope with everyday situations

Postpartum depression varies in severity and may last for several months. Major depression is the most common kind of depression that occurs after pregnancy. Other women suffer from dysthymia , a mild but long-lasting depression that may stem from childhood trauma or a current abusive relationship.

Women with mild to moderate postpartum depression, whose anxiety and troublesome thoughts come and go, may still be able to care for their babies and maintain daily activities. Others may be so overwhelmed by anxiety that they may not have the energy to care for themselves or their babies.

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