Postpartum Depression: The Invisible Illness
Tags: Women, Mental Health, Self Improvement, Self Care, Depression

Postpartum Depression: The Invisible Illness

Things you can do to help get over it

Anthony Tran- Unsplash

In simple terms, Postpartum Depression is a hormonal imbalance that happens to women just after delivering a child. Due to this change in hormones, the patient experiences many different symptoms like anxiety, uncontrolled crying, negative thought process, continued sadness irritation, etc.,

The reality of postpartum depression is not accepted by many. For most, it’s merely a medical term. However, the reality is that it exists and hits badly when it does. Sometime back I had a chance of working with a group of women who just delivered or had newborn babies. It made me realize that this topic needs discussion more often than not. Participating in forums and observing and hearing the stories of families’ responses to it I have come to understand that it is still treated as a non-existent condition.

For first time mothers, it’s a tough situation, when they are dealing with so many things at once. They are overburdened, dealing with a baby with no prior knowledge of bringing up, dealing with a body that has gone through so much of trauma, and dealing with the pressures of the family and partner. And then postpartum depression hits in.

The important factor in postpartum depression is identifying the symptom and not discarding it as an irrational thought process. Some of the stories which I heard appeared to be illogical thinking if you heard them without knowing the background, however, go deep into it you would know that this is nothing but postpartum depression. Here are the few of the thought processes which we heard during the forum discussion which will give you an idea, what could it be like.

One of the participating members for a long time went through the guilt phase of feeling that she had to go through C section even though she took so much care of herself and practiced everything so that she could have a normal delivery.

The other story I remember of a woman describing the sadness she continually experienced because she felt that she did something terribly wrong by bringing a baby into such an uncertain and cruel world.

Some women constantly have a feeling of annoyance and anxiety which eventually shows up in their daily behavior leading to strained relationships and further agony. Sadness and uncontrolled crying are other symptoms.

There are not many known courses of treatment or medication which are available for this illness. The best course of treatment is said to be counseling, followed by anti-depressants, and if that doesn’t help then hormone therapy.

However, in most cases, family support is prime. The most important thing which one can do for postpartum depression or for that matter any form of depression is to understand that it exists and it needs to be dealt with. The family members of the person concerned are the most important people who can help.

To start with it’s the partner or the spouse of the patient, he needs to be compassionate. He has to understand that this is a phase his partner is dealing with and he has to give time and space knowing that it will pass.

Reaching out to a friend or other family members is also important so that you are not keeping the agony to yourself. That will ease you out. Seeking help from your gynecologist or for that matter a specialist if need be is the next step.

In a lot of situations, it is seen that the partners/spouses of the patient react wildly and are rough because they are annoyed by the behavior shown by their spouse. This adds to the ongoing agony of the female who has just given birth and is also undergoing so much physical and mental pain.

To conclude to deal with postpartum depression here are the things that are important:

· Ongoing open conversation between the patient and her partner

· An understanding on the part of the partner that this is a phase and it will pass, so he has to give space

· An understanding of the part of family members, whether in-laws or parents, not taking everything to their heart and complaining and thus straining relations.

· Seek Medical treatment and help of a therapist if it is prolonged