Treatment and Prevention of Postpartum or Postnatal Depression
Postpartum or Postnatal Depression:
Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. 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.
Treatment of Postnatal or Postpartum Depression:
Prevention of Postnatal or Postpartum Depression:
1. General Measures:
- Get as much rest as you can.
- Accept help from family and friends.
- Connect with other new moms.
- Create time to take care of yourself.
- Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs, which can make mood swings worse.
There are effective treatments for postpartum depression. A woman’s health care provider can help her choose the best treatment, which may include:
Postpartum depression is often treated with psychotherapy (also called talk therapy or mental health counseling), medication or both.
You can read: Postpartum or Postnatal Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors
2. Psychotherapy:
It may help to talk through your concerns with a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health provider. Through therapy, you can find better ways to cope with your feelings, solve problems, set realistic goals and respond to situations in a positive way. Sometimes family or relationship therapy also helps.
3. Counseling/Talk Therapy:
This treatment involves talking one-on-one with a mental health professional (a counselor, therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker). Two types of counseling shown to be particularly effective in treating postpartum depression are:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people recognize and change their negative thoughts and behaviors; and
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT), which helps people understand and work through problematic personal relationships.
4. Antidepressants:
Doctor may recommend an antidepressant. If breastfeeding, any medication that can take will enter breast milk. However, some antidepressants can be used during breast-feeding with little risk of side effects for baby. Work with doctor to weigh the potential risks and benefits of specific antidepressants.
With appropriate treatment, postpartum depression usually goes away within six months. In some cases, postpartum depression lasts much longer, becoming chronic depression. It’s important to continue treatment after you begin to feel better. Stopping treatment too early may lead to a relapse.
5. Lifestyle and home remedies:
Postpartum depression isn’t generally a condition that can treat on own things for that build on a treatment plan and help speed recovery.
- Make healthy lifestyle choices: Try to get adequate rest. Eat healthy foods and avoid alcohol.
- Set realistic expectations: Don’t pressure to do everything. Scale back expectations for the perfect household.
- Avoid isolation: Talk with partner, family and friends about how are feeling. Ask other mothers about their experiences. Breaking the isolation may help feel human again.
- Make time for self,
- Ask for help.
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