Women Postnatal Depression and Counseling Services

Women Postnatal Depression and Counseling Services



Abstract

Postnatal depression is also known as postpartum or perinatal depression. It is a more serious type of depression than the “baby blues”. The baby blues, unless persistent, usually do not require treatment and are normal reactions to the hormonal changes and stress after delivery. It is thought that postnatal depression can occur at any time up to one year after delivery; however, evidence suggests that there is no general consensus. The purpose of this paper is to provide healthcare professionals with a basic knowledge of postpartum depression. It will attempt to answer questions pertaining to the etiology, risk factors, warning signs, and various treatments for postpartum depression.

Table of Content

OVERVIEW4

LITERATURE REVIEW4

Postpartum Depression Causes7

Biological Causes7

Psychosocial Causes8

UNCONVENTIONAL THEORIES11

The Feminist Approach11

Non-Western Theory13

Effect of Postpartum Depression on the Family14

Detection of Postpartum Depression16

Diagnostic Screening17

Treatment Options18

Pharmacological18

Psychological treatment19

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS20

REFERENCES22

.Women Postnatal Depression and Counseling Services

Overview

The Postnatal Depression is a transient condition that 75-80% of mothers could experience shortly after childbirth with a wide variety of symptoms which generally involve mood lability, tearfulness, and some mild anxiety and depressive symptoms. Baby blues is not postpartum depression, unless it is abnormally severe.

Traditionally, postpartum depression has been used as a term covering all symptoms of depression associated with childbirth (Jones & Venis, 2001). This however, is an over- generalization of an illness that causes a variety of symptoms in varying degrees of severity. The common categorization of postpartum depression divides the illness into three major types of depression, dependent on the symptoms: baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. Early identification is the first step in treatment of postpartum depression. Education provided in this review will assist the healthcare provider in detection of signs and symptoms as well as treatment of patients. This literature review provides the basis for further education of healthcare professionals and will alert them to the prevalence of postpartum depression in women today.

Literature Review

The least severe form of depression following the birth of a child is commonly referred to as the baby blues, also known as postpartum blues or maternity blues. The proportion of postpartum women suffering symptoms of the baby blues ranges between 50% and 85% (Stowe, 2002; Berggren-Clive, 1998; Dennis & Kavanagh, 2002; Steiner, 1998; Bewley, 1999; Jones & Venis, 2001;Kendall-Tackett & Kaufman Dantor, 1993; Kleiman & Raskin, 1994). Childbirth is a very stressful time for women both physically and emotionally. Physical exhaustion and hormonal changes are accompanied by adjustments in roles and responsibilities (Berggren-Clive, 1998). The period of baby blues reflects these changes and is viewed by most as a normal adjustment period for new mothers (Strass, 2002).

Postpartum depression, in the classic sense, is more severe than baby blues and can cause many problems for the women suffering from it. In Canada it affects approximately 10% to 15% of new mothers, about 35,000 women a year, (Statistics Canada, 1998). Internationally, between 10% and 28% of women experience postpartum depression (Appleby, Koren, & Sharp, 1999; Appleby, Warner, ...