Postpartum Depression Is A Killer, Page 2

What is PPD?

First, it must be clarified that most women experience what is commonly called the "baby blues" immediately following delivery, and lasting a few days or weeks. This is in response to the incredible shift in hormones which occurs at delivery, is normal and to be expected.

When the depression and other, more normal symptoms such as transient panic and anxiety are more severe, longer lasting, or start to occur well after delivery (as in weeks later), PPD may be the culprit.

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At the other end of the spectrum from baby blues is postpartum psychosis, in which the symptoms become so severe as to include incoherence and hallucinations.

Some signs that what you're experiencing may warrant additional attention are:

  • Inability to change your feelings, whether you are feeling sad, angry, irritable, hopeless, etc.
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Inability to feel enjoyment in things that previously were enjoyable
  • Inability to sleep
  • Thoughts of being a failure or that your life is hopeless
  • Compulsive thoughts or behaviors, that is, feeling like you can't stop thinking or doing something
  • Lack of energy, appetite
  • Being overly worried or not worried at all about the baby's well-being
  • Anxiety or panic attack sensations

If any of the following situations exist, help should be sought immediately:

  • Thoughts about harming yourself or others
  • Hearing voices when no one else is present
  • Feeling like something or someone else is controlling your thoughts or behavior
  • Not having slept in 48 hours or more
  • Feeling unable to care for baby

Where does it come from?

While exact causes have not been specifically determined, it is believed that the normal hormonal shift following delivery of a child is a primary cause. It may be that some women's bodies are more particularly sensitive to these shifts. Other factors, such as personal history and current circumstances, may also play a part in determining who is experiencing the typical baby blues and who progresses to postpartum depression.

So how are women dealing with infertility at greater risk for PPD?

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