Postpartum Depression : Recognize and Overcome
Thursday, November 13, 2008Bringing a new baby into the world should be one of life’s most precious experiences. Unfortunately, for mothers affected by Postpartum depression, what follows may feel more like a nightmare. You brought home a “bundle of joy” but didn’t anticipate the distressing feelings you are now experiencing.
Pregnancy and childbirth are attenuated by physical and psychological stresses that can affect not only a woman’s body but also her mental health. These factors can result in either the baby blues, which, it is estimated affects up to 70% of new mothers, Postpartum depression, that occurs in one in 10 cases or, in the worst scenario, an even more troubling disorder called postpartum psychosis (where the mother is at risk of harming either herself or her infant). Thankfully, this third category is rare.
Depression has many faces and each woman’s experience will be different; however, emotional well being and physical functioning will be compromised. Trying to focus and remember or attempting to make decisions may be difficult. Lack of energy and motivation can be accompanied by irritability and restlessness, feeling agitated and anxious. A mother suffering from Postpartum depression may believe she’s facing an uphill battle, feeling ashamed and guilt-ridden, isolated by feelings she has little control over. She may feel terrible sadness and suffer from uncontrollable crying spells, then feeling overwhelmed, withdraw from friends and family. In addition, physical problems may be distressing and hard to cope with. Appetite and sleep problems may interfere with functioning and contribute to fatigue and exhaustion, accompanied by hyperventilation, heart palpitations (skipping or rapid beats), and chest pains. Imagine trying to grapple with all of the foregoing and then attempting to meet your child’s emotional needs!
Childbirth affects a woman’s body in particular ways. Chemical changes have taken place during and after pregnancy. Hormonal changes may have led to chemical imbalances in the brain. Because Postpartum depression can seriously impact on daily life, family relationships, and more importantly, on a mother’s precious relationship with her infant, it is imperative that treatment is sought.
Treatment will be focused on relieving symptoms and correcting imbalances, and different treatment options are available. Conventional methods will employ talk and group therapies, helpful in gaining an understanding about how and why you have been affected. These aid in changing thinking patterns and in developing effective coping strategies. Antidepressant medication may be administered in conjunction with cognitive and behavioral approaches to relieve symptoms of Postpartum depression. Nursing mothers may be concerned about substances they take into their bodies and possible transmission that may prove harmful to their infant. Research indicates that psychotropic medications are secreted into breast milk; however, adverse effects in infants appear to be relatively low. If you have concerns, these should be discussed with your doctor.
For those interested in exploring other treatment options for Postpartum depression, natural remedies offer safe and effective alternatives. Natural supplements include herbal extracts such as black cohosh and chaste tree berry which may relieve irritability and sleep disturbances, vertigo and headaches, heart palpitations, anxiety, and depression. Essential minerals like calcium and magnesium help alleviate physical and emotional stress. Valerian is well known for its effectiveness in helping to reduce anxiety and sleep disorders. It has been used for mood disorders, including depression. Chamomile aids digestion and reduces anxiety. Natural supplements include beneficial vitamins and minerals, amino acids, enzymes, specialty supplements and additional herbal extracts. All of these ingredients provide potent and effective relief.
With the options available today, mothers and their babies don’t have to suffer the effects of Postpartum depression. Each person is different and will choose a treatment they feel is of the most benefit.
Natural supplements provide a flexible, safe, and effective alternative when Postpartum depression impacts your functioning, your relationships, and your well being.
Natural remedies are gaining in popularity as a viable treatment option and can be turned to when seeking treatment for Postpartum depression.
If you are suffering the effects of Postpartum depression, you don't have to go it alone. With the help and hope that modern treatments provide, you'll find that your "new arrival" really is a bundle of joy!
Comparison of Depression and Severe Anxiety
Wednesday, November 12, 2008Many people are no strangers to depression and anxiety. At some point in their lives, they would have experienced a feeling of emptiness or loneliness, which clinically can be diagnosed as depression and severe anxiety. People are more prone to experience depression and severe anxiety as compared to other psychological disorders.
It is a good thing that depression has already been clinically diagnosed and categorized with a list of symptoms and causes, which means that treatment programs have already been developed for it.
To get a clear idea about comparison of depression and severe anxiety follow this :
Depression Symptoms
To get a clearer idea about depression you should read its symptoms clearly as
- The feeling of sadness or emptiness that seems to overwhelm the person.
- Loss of focus.
- Mental and physical fatigue.
- Insomnia and other disturbed-sleep patterns.
- A noticeable change in appetite or loss of weight.
- Feelings of guilt,nervousness and other similar emotions at an intense level.
Mild depression is categorically called a mood disorder, but separately, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression because the depression is not only included as a symptom but also is the illness itself.
Each person has a different reaction to a major depressive disorder, either a loss of pleasure, mood reactivity or with psychotic tendencies. Depression and severe anxiety have long been said to be co-occurring. That is, they seem to occur at the same time, so that differentiating them may be difficult at times during diagnosis. To point it out, below are some of the common anxiety symptoms.
The Relation Between Depression and Severe Anxiety
Studies have shown that about 58% of those people who suffer from depression also show symptoms of anxiety disorder. Because of the resemblance of symptoms, experts oftentimes agree that depression and severe anxiety occur at the same time. The level of the depression and severe anxiety is what makes the difference. There are currently two clinical terms used for when depression and severe anxiety merge with each other:
1. Agitated depression is anxiety depression characterized with heightened restlessness, insomnia, panic, a general sense of doom and suicide. It is actually a form of depression that presents itself as an anxiety.
2. Akathitic depression is anxiety depression characterized with suicide tendencies without symptoms of panic.
Because of the sometimes merging of these two psychological illnesses, medical experts agree that psychologists should take into consideration the presence of the symptoms of both depression and anxiety to have a more accurate diagnosis.
Medication For Both Depression and Severe Anxiety
The overlapping symptoms of both depression and anxiety result in a similarity in prescribing medication or solutions for treatment programs. Antidepressant drugs are oftentimes considered for anxiety cases. Patients with anxiety attacks should not be worried by the prescription of these antidepressant drugs because the drugs are taken to improve the symptoms, which both illnesses have in common.
Talk therapy is also used in both depression and severe anxiety cases, though talk therapies used for the treatment of depression may be different from those used for the treatment of anxiety.
Acupuncture is also one of those alternative treatments that can be used for the treatment programs for depression and severe anxiety. The Chinese art of acupuncture can be used to calm and relax the nerves, which is very important for the treatment of both of these related disorders.
What does depression look like?
Monday, November 10, 2008Lets see "Jane" Lately Jane just does not feel like herself. She does not have the energy to do much of anything lately. She lies around a lot, feeling empty and not sure which way to go. Decisions seem overwhelming. She often cries although nothing in specific is wrong. Jane feels shame, wonders what is wrong with her, and thinks she must by crazy. Everyday she asks herself, "why do I feel this way?" and "why can't I make this go away?" She musters up enough energy to make it through the day and creates a happy facade so people will not see the pain she is in. Jane is depressed.
Depression is not the same thing as feeling sad, blue, or down. Most of us have our ups and downs, our good days and bad. Everyday events, and our reactions to them, sometimes interfere with our peace of mind. Some unhappiness, the blues, or an occasional low mood is common when disappointed. This sadness is all part of life.
In contrast, depression affects the entire body, not just the mind. It can lead to an imbalance in the delicate chemistry of your brain and affect your emotions, feelings, thoughts, behaviors, physical functioning, and health. It can also affect the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you see the world. With depression, the misery can be so great, and persist for so many weeks without relief, that a person may begin to think that life is not worth living anymore.
Adolescent Depression
The pressures of modern living are also having a detrimental effect on our adolescent youth. Take a look at the following statistics and be amazed.
Figures never lie and they are perhaps the best means to highlight certain facts and when they are brought to the notice of the general public leave a lasting impression. It is important to gain the attention of all who want to learn about what the statistics are saying. There are no doubts that statistics are nothing more and nothing less than concrete concepts that have the power to sway even the most skeptical of minds, and it will even show the young generation the true picture with respect to adolescent depression.
Twenty Percent Of Teenagers Sufferers From Depression
The first thing that will make you sit up and take notice about statistics pertaining to adolescent depression is the news that nearly a fifth of the teenage population in the US has experienced a form of clinical depression, even before having gained full adulthood.
Not only that, but there are about ten to fifteen percents of teenagers that have shown symptoms of adolescent depression and another five percent of the teenage population will have suffered from significant depression.
Secondly, another alarming aspect to adolescent depression is the fact that there is not much social acceptance when it concerns teenagers with such a condition, and what's worse is the fact that as many as eight percent of teenagers will have experienced the re-occurrence of depression at least once a year. This is alarming because only a mere five percent of the national population suffer from depression.
When a person suffers a bout of adolescent depression it will generally last for about eight months and teenagers are also at risk that the subsequent attack of adolescent depression will strike them within a mere two years and the chances of this happening are about twenty to forty percent, and there is also a seventy percent chance that they will experience another attack of adolescent depression before they have even reached full adulthood.
Thirdly, another feature of adolescent depression is that quite a few teenagers will suffer from attacks of seasonal depression. This form of depression is most likely to strike during the wintertime, it is also found in places where the altitude is on the high side. Even the weather can play a significant part in the onset of seasonal depression, which means that teenagers also need to be aware of these external effects on the state of mind..
Fourthly, other figures related to adolescent depression reveal that dysthymia or a mild form of depression that lasts for a long time will affect about two percent of teenagers and a like percentage of teenagers are also likely to suffer from bipolar depression when they grow older. In fact, it is thought that as many as fifteen percent of teenagers that have suffered from major depression will later on be at risk of developing bipolar depression.
Thus, it is safe to say that adolescent depression will affect teenagers no matter their social background, income level, gender as well as race or even their achievements and that adolescent depression is very common mental health problem affecting teenagers in the US.