The Lowdown on Postpartum Depression
Ten to 15 out of every 100 mothers report feelings of depression during the first year after giving birth. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently analyzed data taken from PRAMS (the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) during 2004 and 2005 to assess the prevalence and demographic characteristics associated with postpartum depression (PPD) as reported by the mothers themselves.
Data came from 17 states and ranged from the lowest prevalence in Maine (11.7%) to the highest, in New Mexico (20.4%). The level of depression was based upon the way the women responded to two questions, the answers of which were paired with demographic statistical data.
The questions:
- “Since your new baby was born, how often have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?” and
- “Since your new baby was born, how often have you had little interest or little pleasure in doing things?”
Women chose a response from a list that offered “always,” “often,” “sometimes,” “rarely,” and “never” as options. When “always” and “often” were chosen, the mother was classified as self-reporting PPD.
Maternal demographic data included mother’s age at delivery, highest level of education, race or ethnicity, marital status, and whether or not financial aid from the Medicaid program was used to pay for delivery expenses.
Risk factors weighed included the need for NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) admission, low birth weight, how many earlier live births, use of tobacco during last trimester of pregnancy, physical abuse before or during the pregnancy, and stressful events that occurred during the pregnancy and in the year before it. Tobacco use was defined as one or more cigarettes a day during the final three months of pregnancy. Physical abuse meted out by a current or former husband or partner was defined as a push, slap, hit, kick, choking, or other physical pain caused in any way. Stressors were defined as emotional, financial, relationship/partner, or traumatic.
Upon assessment of the data, it was found that the youngest mothers, those with the least education, and those who received Medicaid financial assistance were the most likely to report feelings of PPD. Non-Hispanic white mothers were the least likely to answer affirmatively to PPD symptoms.
Five risk factors described above were considered significant in the majority of cases when the data was formulated on a state-by-state basis:
- Tobacco use
- Physical abuse
- Relationship/partner stress
- Traumatic stress that occurred during the pregnancy
- Financial stress during pregnancy
Giving birth to a baby at low birth weight and emotional stress during the pregnancy proved to be significant factors for the risk of PPD in 14 states. Nine states identified NICU admission as increasing the risk of PPD.
It is important to understand that PPD is not merely “baby blues” and often requires medical treatment. Baby blues are reported more frequently than PPD but usually happens within the first few weeks of delivery whereas PPD may strike at any time during the first year after delivery. Symptoms of baby blues are much less severe than PPD and don’t often require medical treatment whereas PPD does.
PPD is of concern for both the mother’s and the baby’s long-term health. Mothers with PPD are usually less enthusiastic about motherhood and may not fully engage in behaviors that promote optimum child development, such as playing with it and breastfeeding.
The analysis of this data suggests the need to target effective services for mothers who are at high risk of PPD, including PPD screening during follow-up examinations 4 to 6 weeks after delivery as recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Loading ...
People go to these charlatans (i.e. Psychiatrists) looking for REAL help. The grand total of what Psychiatry does is, identify symptoms and subsequently pushes drugs or called medication (lessen the blow) which suppresses (covers up) the symptoms sufficiently thus masking the true problem they’re hired and trusted to treat. This makes it nearly impossible for others to treat the problem. Drugs are doled out versus dealing with the source and/or causes.
Many perhaps may ask why millions & millions & millions of people are against such an approach. Let’s just completely isolate and separate the differences between symptoms versus sources/causes of illness. Let’s use diabetes as an example.
If you ask a doctor what diabetes is, he’s going give you the cause and/or source of this proven and factual disease, and possibly, perhaps if asked, the accompanied symptoms.
Example of what he/she would say: “In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin.”… etc.
On the other hand, here are some of symptoms that accompany Diabetes: Frequent urination, Excessive thirst, Extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability, blurry vision, etc.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know symptoms ARM NOT the disease. Symptoms are signs of something else that is real and not yet identified and/or treated. Symptoms simply demonstrate that something real is behind what the patient is experiencing - but, not made up, invented or believed to be true.
Now, on the other hand, if you ask a doctor or psychiatrist what Postpartum Depression is, he is going to spout off a whole slew of symptoms devoid of or lacking a credible cause and/or source. Try it sometime (listen very carefully).
Found in a recent article on Postpartum Depression, here are the noted symptoms written: “sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, guilt, sleep disturbances, inability to be comforted, exhaustion, emptiness, inability to enjoy things one previously enjoyed, social withdrawal, low energy and feeling inadequate in taking care of the baby”
However, do not for moment interpret or believe that symptoms are not factual and equally uncomfortable. No one can deny symptoms don’t exist - how else do we know someone is ill (high temperature, watery eyes, etc). Just like a leaky faucet is a symptom of something which is breaking or broken, and equally a big pain to fix, who in their right mind would satisfactorily wrap it with masking tape for the next 20 years?
On the other hand, here is what you would find if you researched further into the actual causes of Postpartum Depression:
“Postpartum Depression is considered to be a normal part of new motherhood-probably caused by the hormonal changes that occur following birth. If you have them, there is no cause for undue worry.”
Other articles say:
“Postpartum Depression Causes
No specific cause of postpartum depression has been found.
Hormone imbalance is thought to play a role.
Levels of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and cortical fall dramatically within 48 hours after delivery.
Women who go on to develop postpartum depression may be more sensitive to these hormonal changes.”
If you ask a doctor whether there are any test to measure the patient’s dopamine, serotonin and neurotransmitters, you are going to be gravely disappointed - which throws out the whole chemical imbalance theory.
The next time you hear someone spout off ridiculous mental disorders like “James has ADD”, or “Mary has Bipolar”, or “Betty has Postpartum Depression”, find out what actually these “so called disorders” are minus the symptoms - get down to the crux. You’re going to find miraculously that somehow the symptoms of these “supposed diseases” have become “The Illness”, where the symptoms are being treated. This lacks any real credible evidence of an actual cause or source. Anyone can identify symptoms- “Johny has a runny nose, so he must have a cold”.
So, in short, people each year are diagnosed with Postpartum Depression, along with a myriad of other mental disorders, over a supposition and a theory that remains unproven (no blood or forensic test). These so called Mental Disorders are actually symptoms and are being treated by high powered mind alter medication.
These people are diagnosed based on symptoms alone. But, as they admit, the pseudo-science of Psychiatry remains a hit and miss complication of life.
How many more people will be put onto drugs and subsequently die before these charlatans are put behind bars!?!?