Normal vs. Pathological Mental States After Childbirth
Prevalence
Worldwide, postpartum depression (PD) is a prevalent issue. It affects 13.5% of moms worldwide on average. Simultaneously, the mother and others close to her frequently view these issues as a passing phase that doesn't need medical attention. As such, the majority of women do not think that getting professional assistance is essential.
Symptomatology
Depression of mood, causeless emotional fluctuation, tearfulness, impatience, and diminished drive for any activity are common symptoms of depressive disorder. Insomnia or excessive sleepiness are signs of sleep problems. The appetite increases, reaches excess, or vanishes entirely. Subjectively, women feel unworthy of themselves, blame themselves for not being able to be good mothers, and claim that they don't care or love their children. They are unable to concentrate on home tasks and are unable to independently decide on routine decisions. They distance themselves from relationships with loved ones and from routine conversation. Severe depression might lead to suicidal thoughts for both you and your child.
PPD comes in a variety of forms depending on the course of the condition. Negative experiences that surfaced during pregnancy and labor, for example, prompted by the fear of miscarriage, deteriorate in the neurotic variant of the condition. Enhanced anxiousness is a common symptom. Patients wait for a negative event—a disease, a child's death, a family dissolution—constantly. Outbursts of anger and distress are signs of tension. Women can get irritable and occasionally hostile. In extreme situations, symptoms like sweating, shortness of breath, migraines, chest pains, panic attacks, and hypochondria develop. During the day, the condition progressively gets worse, and by the evening, physical and mental tiredness has set in, accompanied by lethargy, lack of strength, apathy, and uncontrollably crying.
The primary symptoms of depression with neurotic components are somatic illnesses. The patient rejects emotional experiences, viewing them as shameful and inappropriate. The most prominent symptoms are weight loss, reduced appetite, and insomnia. Frequently, there is hypercontrol over the child's condition and an obsessional fear of hurting him. The causes of this illness stem from traumatic events that occurred both before and during pregnancy.
Prolonged depression is the most prevalent type among young moms. It happens covertly; patients commonly experience weariness, depression, and acclimatization to the routine of raising a kid and being a mother. It is very uncommon to see a specialist because symptoms develop slowly. Weakness, weariness—mistakenly linked to childbirth—and blood loss are common among women. It gets harder to handle waking up in the middle of the night to nurse a newborn, and tears and anger rise. Even when raising a child is difficult, there is still a tendency to see one's own experiences critically.
Key Points
Melancholia with a delusional element is another form of depression. Guilt and psychomotor impairment are the main symptoms. Worried about seeming bankrupt, women label themselves as "bad mothers." Superb concepts that promote suicide thoughts, self-deprecation, and self-blame are prevalent. Postpartum psychosis is a more serious sickness that can develop from this kind of the disorder.
Genetic Factors
Understanding the interaction between biological components, environmental circumstances, and human behavior in the development of a disorder is essential. Hence, compared to a depressive episode brought on by external factors, postpartum depression is a biologically more deterministic illness. In my opinion, this suggests that people with postpartum depression may require more medicine than those experiencing a single depressive episode. We are unable to identify the genes linked to postpartum depression at this time due to the limited sample sizes in the research; nonetheless, these genes are most likely linked to the oxytocin system, a nerve growth factor.
Hormonal Factors
Allopregnanolone, a metabolite of progesterone and an allosteric modulator of GABA receptors, and oxytocin, a hormone that profoundly influences the processes of childbirth and motherhood, may be less present in postpartum depression patients. It is well known that normal oxytocin levels begin to decline in women with postpartum depression during the 38th week of pregnancy, although this hormone concentration fall does not occur in individuals without postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can also arise as a result of thyroid malfunction, which manifests as elevated TSH and elevated antibodies to thyroid peroxidase, similar to bipolar affective disorder.
Neural Factors
Numerous brain areas show reduced activity in PPD patients. The amygdala's reaction to negative stimuli unrelated to infants is reduced in mothers with PPD; more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety are correlated with an even greater blunting of amygdala activation. This attenuated amygdala response is relevant to maternal behavior; in one study, among women who were depressed, a lower amygdala response was associated with higher self-reported animosity toward the child.
Psychosocial Factors
Numerous psychological pressures are born throughout pregnancy and the transition to parenthood. A woman must adapt to shifts in her perception of her body, her obligations, her relationships with her spouse and family, and how society views her.
Prevalence
Worldwide, postpartum depression (PD) is a prevalent issue. It affects 13.5% of moms worldwide on average. Simultaneously, the mother and others close to her frequently view these issues as a passing phase that doesn't need medical attention. As such, the majority of women do not think that getting professional assistance is essential.
Symptomatology
Depression of mood, causeless emotional fluctuation, tearfulness, impatience, and diminished drive for any activity are common symptoms of depressive disorder. Insomnia or excessive sleepiness are signs of sleep problems. The appetite increases, reaches excess, or vanishes entirely. Subjectively, women feel unworthy of themselves, blame themselves for not being able to be good mothers, and claim that they don't care or love their children. They are unable to concentrate on home tasks and are unable to independently decide on routine decisions. They distance themselves from relationships with loved ones and from routine conversation. Severe depression might lead to suicidal thoughts for both you and your child.
PPD comes in a variety of forms depending on the course of the condition. Negative experiences that surfaced during pregnancy and labor, for example, prompted by the fear of miscarriage, deteriorate in the neurotic variant of the condition. Enhanced anxiousness is a common symptom. Patients wait for a negative event—a disease, a child's death, a family dissolution—constantly. Outbursts of anger and distress are signs of tension. Women can get irritable and occasionally hostile. In extreme situations, symptoms like sweating, shortness of breath, migraines, chest pains, panic attacks, and hypochondria develop. During the day, the condition progressively gets worse, and by the evening, physical and mental tiredness has set in, accompanied by lethargy, lack of strength, apathy, and uncontrollably crying.
The primary symptoms of depression with neurotic components are somatic illnesses. The patient rejects emotional experiences, viewing them as shameful and inappropriate. The most prominent symptoms are weight loss, reduced appetite, and insomnia. Frequently, there is hypercontrol over the child's condition and an obsessional fear of hurting him. The causes of this illness stem from traumatic events that occurred both before and during pregnancy.
Prolonged depression is the most prevalent type among young moms. It happens covertly; patients commonly experience weariness, depression, and acclimatization to the routine of raising a kid and being a mother. It is very uncommon to see a specialist because symptoms develop slowly. Weakness, weariness—mistakenly linked to childbirth—and blood loss are common among women. It gets harder to handle waking up in the middle of the night to nurse a newborn, and tears and anger rise. Even when raising a child is difficult, there is still a tendency to see one's own experiences critically.
Key Points
Melancholia with a delusional element is another form of depression. Guilt and psychomotor impairment are the main symptoms. Worried about seeming bankrupt, women label themselves as "bad mothers." Superb concepts that promote suicide thoughts, self-deprecation, and self-blame are prevalent. Postpartum psychosis is a more serious sickness that can develop from this kind of the disorder.
Genetic Factors
Understanding the interaction between biological components, environmental circumstances, and human behavior in the development of a disorder is essential. Hence, compared to a depressive episode brought on by external factors, postpartum depression is a biologically more deterministic illness. In my opinion, this suggests that people with postpartum depression may require more medicine than those experiencing a single depressive episode. We are unable to identify the genes linked to postpartum depression at this time due to the limited sample sizes in the research; nonetheless, these genes are most likely linked to the oxytocin system, a nerve growth factor.
Hormonal Factors
Allopregnanolone, a metabolite of progesterone and an allosteric modulator of GABA receptors, and oxytocin, a hormone that profoundly influences the processes of childbirth and motherhood, may be less present in postpartum depression patients. It is well known that normal oxytocin levels begin to decline in women with postpartum depression during the 38th week of pregnancy, although this hormone concentration fall does not occur in individuals without postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can also arise as a result of thyroid malfunction, which manifests as elevated TSH and elevated antibodies to thyroid peroxidase, similar to bipolar affective disorder.
Neural Factors
Numerous brain areas show reduced activity in PPD patients. The amygdala's reaction to negative stimuli unrelated to infants is reduced in mothers with PPD; more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety are correlated with an even greater blunting of amygdala activation. This attenuated amygdala response is relevant to maternal behavior; in one study, among women who were depressed, a lower amygdala response was associated with higher self-reported animosity toward the child.
Psychosocial Factors
Numerous psychological pressures are born throughout pregnancy and the transition to parenthood. A woman must adapt to shifts in her perception of her body, her obligations, her relationships with her spouse and family, and how society views her.
