What is postnatal depression?
It is a condition when a woman who has just given birth falls into a depressed state of mind.
There are no obvious causes and most of the time, there is no single cause that can be identified.
Is postnatal depression a common condition?
Yes. It is estimated that one in every 10 mothers who gives birth experience postnatal depression.
Usually the condition happens a month after childbirth, but can also surface within six months later. If not treated, the condition can affect the victim for months or even longer.
What are the signs of postnatal depression?
Depression/Sadness: Feeling more sad or depressed than usual, may feel worse at certain times, like in the morning or at night.
Quick to lose patience: Getting angry quickly with one's husband, other children or even your own newborn baby.
Always feeling lethargic: All new mothers who have given birth will feel tired. However, mothers who have postnatal depression feel even more tired than normal.
Difficulty in sleeping: Has sleeping difficulty and tends to wake up easily from sleep even though there is no external disturbance.
Loss of appetite: Often has no appetite or desire to eat. Sometimes, the opposite happens, where postnatal depression sufferer will overeat to overcome her feelings of depression.
Unable to participate in any activity: Loss of interest in activities she used to like doing.
Unable to solve simple problems/carry out simple chores: Feeling unable to carry out daily chores and to find solutions to simple problems.
Restlessness or fear: Feeling afraid that her child will be injured or something bad will happen, always worried whether or not the child is breathing, growing normally or healthy.
Postnatal depression can cause her to panic or feel tired, which then leads to fear of illness, such as heart disease. All these factors can cause a mother to feel afraid to be alone.
Don't all mothers feel depressed after childbirth?
No. About half of all mothers feel sad or lack of confidence several days after giving birth. This is known as "Postnatal Blues", but normally this feeling goes away after several days.
What causes postnatal depression?
It is not fully known what causes this condition.
Several known factors may increase the risk of postnatal depression:
- Being in an unsupportive environment, such as having an unsupportive husband.
- Having experienced depression previously.
- Having faced several stressful issues in a short period of time such as financial problems, loss of a loved one or family problems.
- Giving birth to a premature baby or the newborn baby has health problems.
However, a mother may still experience postnatal depression without the presence of any of the above factors.
What is the treatment for postnatal depression?
Medical treatment for postnatal depression includes the use of several types of antidepressant pills. The pills are to be taken orally on a daily basis and will take around two to three weeks before showing any effect.
The majority of mothers experiencing postnatal depression are unaware that they are suffering from the condition.
Support from family members, especially the husband, is important - be it through looking after the child as well as providing emotional support.
Ministry of Health Public Awareness Programme
Source: Weekend, 13 December 2008
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