1339 Outreach Lane · Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843-881-2047 · 843-881-0025 (fax)
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The 6th Annual Postpartum Depression 5K Walk/Run |
Postpartum depression is defined as the emotional and physical reactions occurring any time within the first year after the birth of a baby and is characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, hopelessness, and discouragement.
The symptoms of postpartum depression, or PPD, include:
Baby Blues (Not considered a disorder)
 | Symptoms are mild and usually go away within 2 weeks. | ||||||||||||
| Symptoms include:
|
Depression and/or Anxiety
| Excessive
worry or anxiety |
| Irritability
or short temper |
| Feeling
overwhelmed, difficulty making decisions |
| Sad
mood, feelings of guilt, phobias |
| Hopelessness |
| Sleep
problems (often the woman cannot sleep or sleeps too much), fatigue |
| Physical
symptoms or complaints without apparent physical cause |
| Discomfort
around the baby or a lack of feeling toward the baby |
| Loss
of focus and concentration (may miss appointments, for example) |
| Loss
of interest or pleasure, lower sex drive |
| Changes
in appetite; significant weight loss or gain |
| Suicidal thoughts |
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
| Intrusive,
repetitive, and persistent thoughts or mental pictures |
| Thoughts often are about hurting or killing the baby not to be confused with psychotic thoughts |
| Tremendous
sense of horror and disgust about these thoughts (ego-alien) |
| Thoughts
may be accompanied by behaviors to reduce the anxiety (for example, hiding
knives) |
| Counting,
checking, cleaning or other repetitive behaviors |
| Suicidal thoughts |
| Episodes
of extreme anxiety |
| Shortness
of breath, chest pain, sensations of choking or smothering, dizziness |
| Hot
or cold flashes, trembling, rapid heart beat, numbness or tingling
sensations |
| Restlessness,
agitation, or irritability |
| During
attack the woman may fear she is going crazy, dying or losing control |
| Panic
attack may wake her up |
| Often
no identifiable trigger for panic |
| Excessive
worry or fears (including fear of more panic attacks) |
Psychosis
| Visual
or auditory hallucinations [not the same as intrusive thoughts] |
| Delusional
thinking (for example, about infant’s death, denial of birth, or need to
kill baby) |
| Delirium
and/or mania |
| Suicidal thoughts |
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
| Recurrent
nightmares |
| Extreme
anxiety |
| Reliving
past traumatic events (for example, sexual, physical, emotional, and
childbirth) |
Used with permission from “Beyond the Blues” (2006 issue) by Shoshana S. Bennett, Ph.D. and Pec Indman, Ed.D., MFT published by Moodswings Press.
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