Postpartum Depression

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the high incidence of postpartum depression within the first six months of delivery. The symptoms, psychiatric disorders, suffering and decreased quality of life are indicative of this condition. PPD is present in 10 -20 percent of women in the United States within six months of delivery, and up to 25 percent in women with a history of postpartum depression after a previous delivery. Moreover, more than 50 percent of all women who develop postpartum depression still suffer symptoms a year later. In conclusion the paper shows patients with PPD are more likely to seek help from their primary care physicians than from mental health professionals, thus providers need to be prepared with the necessary tools and knowledge to properly care for women with PPD.

From the Paper:

"Postpartum Depression is a clinical term that refers to a major depressive episode that is temporally associated with childbirth, and although some women report the acute onset of symptoms shortly after delivery, it generally begins within three to six months after delivery (Seehusen pp). The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision "uses the term 'postpartum' in reference to symptoms of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or brief psychotic disorder beginning within 4 weeks of delivery" (Seehusen pp). However, depressive episodes at any time during the first year postpartum can be considered as being postpartum in onset (Seehusen pp). The psychiatric postpartum experiences are generally divided into three categories, maternal blues, PPD, and postpartum psychosis (Seehusen pp). Although the DSM IV does not apply the postpartum modifier to all other psychiatric illnesses, anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias, may occur initially or worsen during the postpartum period (Seehusen pp). Diagnosing PPD can be complicated by the similarity of signs and symptoms of depression and the sequelae of normal childbirth, and since subclinical mood fluctuations that frequently occur during the first two week after delivery are considered part of the normal postpartum experience, determining the time of symptom onset may help to distinguish PPD from normal childbirth mood changes (Seehusen pp)."

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