In case of a woman an experience of childbirth is often accompanied by sadness, anxiety and a sense of depression. Women do confront with a difficult situation where they are not able to take care of themselves and even the growing baby. Pregnant and suicidal thoughts follow in due course of time. There are some women who might be thinking of harming themselves along with their babies.
Triggers and hormones
Many reasons are attributed why one could become depressed. Once you are depressed the body suffers a lot of changes before and after pregnancy. The moment a woman is pregnant the body produces hormones in large quantities. But after the first 24 hours of pregnancy the hormone levels fall back to the original levels before you were not pregnant. The symptoms of depression could follow the same way as the menstrual symptoms before and after your period.
With women there could be a case where a drop down of thyroid hormones might occur. These are produced by a thyroid gland and with the help of these hormones the body regulates the use of energy. Low thyroid can cause problems with weight gain, sleep along with concentration.
These physical changes can be combined with dramatic changes that are taking place in your body. The pressures of being a new mother or a sense of loss in life that you might have faced before. The chances are high that you might be in risk for baby blues or postpartum depression.
The risk of depression increases when you have a premature baby, possibility of multiple births or stressful incidents like returning back to work could also have a say. The refuge populations are at a risk as they face difficulty in adjusting to a new environment. Financial concerns or lack of family support could lead to a situation of suicide while pregnant.
Treatment for depression
There is a lot of treatment for depression during pregnancy. Mostly it is a case of talk therapy with the use of medications. Women do not opt for a treatment in spite of it providing excellent results. For a majority of them are concerned about the risks that may pose to the developing baby. If you have any issues it is better to discuss with your doctor.
A silver lining is that this form of depression is temporary and can be cured with professional help. But if it poses to be an emergency you might need immediate help.
Partners could also be in state of depression
It is not that women can be victims of depression; even partners have a strong chance of becoming depressed. Men are more likely not to discuss their emotional state with anyone. They strong deny any help and feel that there is no definite need for it. But fathers who suffer from depression can add up to the problems of the baby and even the mother. Just consider depression as a form of anxiety that needs to be addressed and it is treatable.
Content Provided By Vanguard Behavioral Health – rehab Tucson
