Ppd Research Paper

Postpartum psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, has become the most underdiagnosed complication in the United States. It can lead to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development (Earls, 2010). Over 400,000 infants are born to mothers that are depressed. One of 7 new mothers (14.5%) experience depressive episodes that impair maternal role function. An episode of major or minor depression that occurs during pregnancy or the first 12 months after birth is called perinatal or postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers & Sit, 2006). Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others (Postpartum Depression). The six stages of postpartum are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and PTSD. These stages may affect any women regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status. However only a physician can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. It does not occur because of something a mother does or does not do, it’s a combination of physical and emotional factors. After childbirth, the levels of hormones in a woman’s body quickly drop; which may lead to chemical changes in her brain (Postpartum Depression). Unbalanced hormones may trigger mood swings.

Postpartum depression, which is the most prevalent of all maternal depressive disorders, is said to be the hidden epidemic of the 21st century. (1) Despite its high prevalence rate of 10-15% and increased incidence, postpartum depression often goes undetected, and thus untreated. (2) Nearly 50% of postpartum depression cases are untreated. As a result, these cases are put at a high risk of being exposed to the severe and progressive nature of their depressive disorder. (3) In other words, the health conditions of untreated postpartum depression cases worsen and progress to one of their utmost stages, and they are: postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum panic disorder, postpartum post traumatic stress, and postpartum psychosis.

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects at least 10-20% of new mothers. However, the true incidence may be much higher due to the fact that screening is not considered to be a standard practice, leaving PPD undetected and untreated in many women (Schaar & Hall, 2014). Postpartum depression not only negatively affects the mother; it also has a negative impact on the infant. For this reason, it is important for the health care providers caring for pregnant and postpartum mothers to screen them for risk factors associated with PPD, as well as educate them on ways to lessen their chances of getting PPD. It is also important for the health care providers to screen for PPD with a standardized tool like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and to take action in treating it when it is suspected or diagnosed.

As mental health in America is finally being addressed and more research is seen, it is important to look at the potential causes or correlations that lead to common diagnoses for patients. According to Brummelte and Galea (2010), “depression affects approximately 1 in 5 people, with the incidence being 2-3x higher in women than in men.” Postpartum depression (PPD), a subset of this debilitating disease, has an estimated prevalence rate of 13-19% with another estimated 50% that are undiagnosed (O’hara and McCabe, 2013). As a whole, it has the same symptoms as major depressive disorder but diagnosis occurs within 0-4 weeks of giving birth (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Part of this lack of diagnosis is due to a multitude of healthcare

Post Partum depression causes a new mother to become depressed to a severe extent. PPD causes its patients to fall to an uncomfortable mental state. PPD patients feel discouraged, hostile,

Society must realize postpartum depression is treatable and manageable. Depression of any kind is a serious illness that requires not only further study, but a shift in thinking so it is less misunderstood and more widely recognized. Early identification of PPD symptoms must be increased in order to alleviate the tremendous burden this illness causes on families and new mothers and while current diagnosis practices are expanding to include earlier identification and increasing successful treatment, it is critical that the medical community work together to expand and add to the prevention of postpartum depression. In conjunction with a greater tolerance and understanding of this mostly hidden disease, perhaps depression will no longer be such a hidden and misunderstood mental

Risks are higher among ethnic minority women or women with a lower socioeconomic status (SES), and suffering from a major depressive disorder. Yet, less than half of these women will be identified or treated for PPD disorder (Yonkers, p. 1856). The woman who are vulnerable for this disorder can be identified by risk factors during the postpartum period. These factors may include a history of major depression, depressive symptoms during the pregnancy, obstetrical complications, unstable marriage (significant other), stressed life events, low income, educational attainment, and not breastfeeding (Yonkers, 2001), and these factors can be used to assess women outside of the postpartum period.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major event occurring in eight to fifteen percent of the woman population after delivering their child (Glavin, Smith, Sørum & Ellefsen, 2010). The symptoms and causes of PPD are similar to depression symptoms in other periods of life (Glavin et al., 2010). These symptoms may include feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, loss of interest in daily activities, sleep changes, anger or irritability, loss of energy, self-loathing, reckless behavior and concentration problems. These symptoms may lead to other factors that are detrimental to the child bearing and rearing family.

Postpartum major depression is a type of depression that affecting as many as eighty percent of new mothers at some point in their childs first few weeks of infancy. Scientists have categorized their findings on postpartum depression into three basic categories. These include: the conditions surrounding the birth of the child, diagonosis and treatment of the disease, and the the long term affects of postpartum depression on the mother`s child. Postpartum major depression is not to be confused with Postpartum Psychosis, which is a rare condition with some bizarre symptoms including: confusion and disorientation, hallucinations and delusions, paranoia, and attempts to harm oneself or the baby. One mother who

In the United States, as well as many other countries and cultures, postpartum depression is prevalent, but many times overlooked or not diagnosed. Postpartum depression is a “mood disorder that occurs with alarming frequency with documented prevalence of 10% to 15% during the first 3 months after delivery” (Horowitz, et. al, 2013, p. 287). Throughout hospitals, nurses are being educated about postpartum depression, which allows them to educate patients on what postpartum depression is and how to recognize the signs. If unrecognized and left untreated, women are at an increased risk of future depressive episodes and functional impairment (Katon et. al, 2014). There are many initiatives in place to increase the amount of screening and education that is occurring for postpartum depression.

The birth of a baby can trigger powerful emotions such as joy, excitement, maybe some fear and anxiety. But it can also trigger something you did not expect –depression. The depression is called postpartum depression, or also known as postnatal depression, it’s a type of depression that can affect both the mother and the father. This is most likely to happen after giving birth or up to a year later. But it usually occurs within the first three months after delivery. Postpartum depression doesn’t actually have a specific cause but it is mostly caused by the anxiety of the responsibilities of parenthood. (Mayo Clinic Staff)

Midwives, obstetricians and gynecologists are often the central medical caregivers for women and as such they are likely to be the first or only medical providers to identify, refer and coordinate a plan of care for women who have mood disorders. Early detection, intervention, treatment in conjunction with individualized care is imperative and greatly reduces the risk of adverse effects for the mother, infant and family. However fifty percent of women with these disorders are never diagnosed because many symptoms of mood disorders overlap with the symptoms of pregnancy and often are overlooked (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009). If left untreated these women can continue to have symptoms, sometimes for many

You carry it with you for nine months. After those nine months, what you produced is a beautiful baby. Though you are happy with the thought of spending the next eighteen years watching this tiny person grow, you can’t help but feel like something is missing. There are many different types of depression in the world. The feeling of emptiness as described above could contribute to the diagnosis of postpartum depression. After having depression for several weeks, some mothers experience the sister disorder - psychosis. Psychiatrist Leslie Tam states that the term postpartum distress (PPD) is just an umbrella term for postpartum mental disorders. Subjects under this category are the well know baby blues (depression), anxiety, and in worst

While the hormonal changes are unpreventable, the early identification of post-partum high-risk women helps significantly in its prevention. Provision of education on its significance, the risk factors, symptoms identification, and when to seek help can be done by health care providers to possible depressed mothers. Thurgood et al (2009) stated, “the sooner these women are identified, the sooner treatment measures can be implemented to prevent postpartum depression from worsening into a more severe, chronic course.”

There have been many changes made to the criterion for PPD since its inclusion in the DSM-IV and DSM-5. Currently, in the DSM-5, PPD is classified under depressive disorders. It is listed as a specifier under “peripartum disorders,” stating that the onset of mood symptoms occur during pregnancy or in the 4 weeks following delivery. In the DSM-IV, it is classified under mood disorders. The DSM-IV included a “criteria for Postpartum onset specifier,” which define postpartum onset as an episode occurring within four weeks postpartum. While these two classifications are similar, the DSM-5 revision made a point to elaborate on the specifier by adding a note that stated mood episodes can have their onset either during pregnancy or postpartum. It then goes on to include the fact that 50% of “postpartum” major depressive episodes actually begin prior to delivery, which is why they are referred to as peripartum episodes (DSM-5, p.186). Peripartum episodes can occur with or without psychotic features, which can explain a case of simple “baby blues” vs. infanticide, or thoughts or delusions of killing the