ADVICE RATING |
 4.70 (Highly recommend) from 14 votes (251 Visits) |
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So you think she has Post Natal Depression... |
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by monyq83  (December 2006) (rank 6th) |
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So you think she might have Post Natal Depression. But how do you know for sure? Well the truth is you cant, unless you are a doctor. There are, however, some signs that you can look out for, before its too late and she ends up hurting either herself or 
her baby:
- Feelings of uselessness, that they will never amount to anything
- Not connected with the baby, still hasnt bonded
- Is more emotional than normal, cries over what seems to be nothing
- Irregular sleeping patterns
- Loss of libido
- General vagueness
- Snappy for no apparent reason
- Loss of self esteem
- And in extremes, resents the baby and even says she wants it dead.
Please note that these arent all the symptoms, and they come on gradually , either a few days to a few weeks after birth. It varies from woman to woman. All women experience the baby blues from one extent to another, but for most women this dissappears quickly. It is caused by a combination of hormones being all over the place, those yucky body changes that we all go thru, and a general change in their family life, and having to put a pause in their social life.
As far as treatment goes, in mild cases counselling and or st johns wart is helpful, but for people who need a tad more help, antidepressants can be prescribed, so long as she is not breastfeeding. Antidepressants are not something to feel ashamed about taking, nor is the fact that you may have depression/PND. It is a part of life that the best of us are all prone to.
Some great links that i found on this are: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?
link_id=1.4 http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?
p=114&np=141&id=1537 http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/postnatalmentalhealth/postnataldepression.aspx
http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+postnatal+depression.htm
I would just like to state that I am not a doctor and please dont substitute my advice for proper medical help. What I have written here are only an indication. Thank you.
