Melissa Marie Grillo Community Problem Report Postpartum Depression English 1311 at 11:30 November 8, 2013 Abstract Due

to the sudden drop of estrogen and progesterone after giving birth, man ne! mothers e"perien#e the #ommonl $no!n %bab blues&' (o!ever, some of the s mptoms asso#iated !ith %the blues& onl get !orse and last longer for a number of !omen' )his is $no!n as postpartum depression !hi#h affe#ts a vast ma*orit of mothers all over the !orld !hi#h in return,#auses ps #hologi#al harm to their infants' +tatisti#s sho! that !omen are largel unedu#ated about this disabling #ondition or feel guilt that the are struggling to adapt to motherhood and therefore do not get the mu#h needed help, su#h as medi#ation or therap ' ,t is important for !omen to $no! about this disease and $no! the are not alone, and the #ommunit to $no! in order to #reate outrea#h programs for depressed mothers' Postpartum Depression

-ostpartum depression .--D/ is a serious disabilit that %affe#ts 130112 of ne! mothers in the 3nited +tates&, though %as man as 402 of --D #ases are undiagnosed'& .5brams 6 7urran, 2008, pg' 341/ )his disease has been sho!n to hinder a mother9s abilit to #are for their #hildren' )he be#ome insensitive to their infants, hurting them ps #hologi#all , and in severe #ases develop ps #hosis, leading some !omen to ph si#all hurt their ne!born or even themselves' Edu#ation, s#reenings, and support are $e to helping !omen over#ome --D'

The Difference Between Baby Blues, Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Psychosis %-ostpartum depression and the bab blues share man s mptoms, in#luding mood s!ings, #r ing *ags, sadness, insomnia, and irritabilit & .+mith 6 +egal, n'd/ (o!ever, the bab blues t pi#all last no more than t!o !ee$s and are resolved !ithout the need for treatment and medi#ation !hereas --D #an last !ee$s, months, and in some #ases, ears' )herap or medi#ation is needed to #ontrol the s mptoms, some of !hi#h #an #ause a ne! mother to !ant to harm their infant or #ommit sui#ide' (ormonal shifts and other biomedi#al reasons are to blame, as the !oman9s bod is tr ing to return to it9s pre0pregnan# state' (o!ever, for some !omen, these rapid #hemi#al #hanges affe#t the brain9s fun#tioning more drasti#all , #ausing depression to set in for longer periods of time and to be mu#h more sever, espe#iall !hen stress is added attributing to ps #hosis' 1 out of ever 1000 ne! mothers develop postpartum ps #hosis !hi#h is an a#ute #ondition that usuall re:uires hospitali;ation' <omen e"perien#ing this tend to %see and hear voi#es or images that others #an9t, #alled

hallu#inations' )he ma believe things that aren9t true and distrust those around them' )he ma also have periods of #onfusion and memor loss, and seem mani#'& . -ostpartum ,nternational, n'd'/

=igure 1 depi#ts the differen#es bet!een postpartum blues, depression, and ps #hosis' )he first ro! gives statisti#s on e"a#tl ho! man !omen are affe#ted' )he se#ond ro! des#ribes the s mptoms asso#iated !ith ea#h #ondition' )he third ro! states ho! severe ea#h disorder is' Effects on Children % 5 depressed mother is less li$el to pi#$ up on and respond to her bab 9s #ues' )his sets the stage for an inse#ure atta#hment' 5 #hild !ho is inse#urel atta#hed is at ris$ for multiple developmental diffi#ulties and dela s, in#luding behavioral, emotional, and so#ial problems'& .+mith 6 +egal, n'd/ =igure 2 goes into detail'

=igure 2 des#ribes the effe#ts #hildren e"perien#e after being raised b a mother !ith postpartum depression' ho is !ost at Ris" <omen !ho e"perien#ed depression during their pregnan# , or prior to, and !omen !ith a geneti# disposition are more at ris$ to develop postpartum depression' <omen !ho have mental #onditions su#h as s#hi;ophrenia and bipolar disorder are more at ris$ to develop postpartum ps #hosis' (o!ever, those most at ris$ are !omen in povert due to the stress of being finan#iall unstable and therefore unable to support their #hild or #hildren' )he are also less li$el to see$ or re#eive treatment for this #ondition' Man mothers in povert are t pi#all oung, having little to no edu#ation

follo!ing high s#hool, have multiple #hildren, la#$ so#ial support, are parenting alone, and live in dangerous areas' 5ll those fa#tors add unne#essar stress and !orr on top of having a ne! bab to ta$e #are of, leading to depression' +tatisti#s sho! there is about a 242 in#rease that a lo!0in#ome !oman !ill develop postpartum depression #ompared to a middle0 or upper0#lass !oman' )he %'''!orr over meeting finan#ial

obligations #an be a signifi#ant stressor for mothers' )he la#$ of ade:uate in#ome is asso#iated !ith poorer parental #oping s$ills, lo!er famil #ohesion, less empath , and inabilit to reverse roles !ithin the famil '& .<ang, <u, 5nderson, 6 =loren#e, 2011, pg' >14/

Treatment and Pre#entati#e !easures +#reenings for postpartum depression t pi#all ta$e pla#e onl at the first postpartum appointment !ith the !oman9s ob0g n' )he should ho!ever be available throughout the first three ears of that #hild9s life, in order to #at#h late0onset --D' -rograms need to be #reated to help !omen deal !ith their individual situations rather than simpl pres#ribing medi#ation' 5n anti0depressant !ill not solve all the hardships ne! mothers must fa#e, espe#iall those in povert , single mothers !ith la#$ of an so#ial support, and mothers !ith multiple #hildren' ,nstead, %appropriate referrals to and pro0a#tive assistan#e !ith appli#ations to in#ome assistan#e programs, respite #are, !or$for#e reentr programs, and #hild #are servi#es& !ould be of better use to these mothers' .5brams 6 7urran, 2008, pg' 348/ 7ommunities should offer support groups, !here !omen #an a#tuall relate to ea#h other and help one another #ope !ith the feeling of an"iet , guilt, and stress asso#iated !ith --D' ?astl , preventative measures need to be ta$en, su#h as setting up edu#ational #lasses for pregnant !omen on the s mptoms of --D, !here to go lo#all for help, and ho! to #are for an infant properl ' or"s Cited

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)cottaline, I$ &n$d$'$ Postpartum Depression( !y )hameful )ecret J Iaylee )cottaline$ Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post$ Retrie#ed .ctober ,H, -/,0, from

http(22www$huffin?tonpost$com2"aylee*scottaline2postpartum* depression*my*shameful*secretKbK0EH,ADB$html Postpartum Depression . (n.d.). KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/ppd.html Ileiman, Iaren R$, and Amy enLel$ Droppin? the baby and other scary

thou?hts( brea"in? the cycle of unwanted thou?hts in motherhood$ +ew 7or"( Routled?e, -/,,$ Print$