Part 2: Early recognition of postpartum depression
The previous article presented the causes and consequences of postnatal depression, as well as those most susceptible to the disease. This article will explain how to diagnose a disease early on the basis of clinical symptoms.
As mentioned before, it is possible to diagnose early postpartum depression on the basis of many clinical symptoms, such as: Asthenia, Worry, Panic, Stress, Feeling obsessed, Loss of concentration, Sleep disorders, Disorders in Sexual life and Psychological symptoms.
1. Asthenia
Many women feel miserable, hopelessly increase after childbirth, even crying all day without any particular reason. Sometimes they feel abandoned by their husbands, family and friends. These feelings are often groundless. These depressed women may fall into a state of constant fatigue, indifferent to home work. They do not bother bathing, grooming.
2. Worry
Poor mothers often have many worries, often about their own health. They may feel intense pain somewhere but the doctor does not find the cause. Usually pain in the head and neck. Others have backache, chest pain, possibly due to heart problems. Mothers have a lot of health complaints that make them more stressful.
The most common symptom is pain in the body and feeling sick. These symptoms will become severe if left untreated.
Mothers often feel stressed and lack confidence when leaving home. They may not even be able to meet close friends, refuse to answer phone calls or letters. In this case, the mother usually does not go to the doctor so the family needs to invite the doctor to the house.
3. Panic
The mother may feel panicked for situations that occur daily, and is difficult to calm down. Therefore, it is best to help them avoid stressful situations.
4. Stress
Stress is often accompanied by depression. Stressful mothers are often more depressed. They are often difficult to relax, sometimes feel like exploding. This type of stress is a symptom of depression, which cannot be resolved with tranquilizers. Women taking tranquilizers should not be disappointed because they cannot work. If they switch to some other less dependent form, it's good.
5. Feeling obsessed
Mothers with depression are often haunted, possibly by a person, a situation or a particular activity. Some people may become fearful and believe that they are a danger to family members, especially the child. These fears are a common symptom of depression, which can be accompanied by feeling of guilt. This is usually for no reason, but if the mother is afraid of affecting her child, tell your family and doctor.
6. Loss of concentration
A depressed mother often has difficulty in concentrating on reading, watching TV or chatting normally. They will feel their memory is so bad, and sometimes cannot manage their thoughts. They can sit there doing nothing, just thinking that they feel very bad.
7. Sleep disorders
Often depressed people have difficulty falling asleep. They can stay awake near the dawn, or cannot sleep at all. Some people have intermittent sleep, wake up many times at night, sometimes have nightmares and cannot sleep again.
Mothers feel more stressed in the evening, so they have insomnia for a long time. At this time doctors usually prescribe sleeping pills, but sometimes high doses are not effective. In this case, the mother will feel more disappointed. It is important to cure depression and sleep normally. It is best to have someone help mother to feed child in the evening
8. Disorders in sexual life
Lack of need for sex can happen to mothers suffering from postnatal depression, which often last a while, so fathers should be sympathetic and understand that this is just a symptom of the disease. Sexual interest will return when the mother overcome depression. Fathers should be patient and try to comfort their wives so that they recover from postnatal depression. The way to help them feel comfortable including light touches, cuddling and caressing, which will be good for both.
9. Psychological symptoms
(1) Sad mood, (2) Reduced willingness for activities, (3) Feeling of useless or guilty, (4) Feeling difficulties to concentrate their mind or to take decision, (5) Often thinking of death and/or suicide, (6) Change of taste, lose or get in weight, (7) Losing sleep or sleeping too much, (8) Slow in thinking, acting and reacting, (9) Fatigued and lack of energy.
The next article will explain how to prevent and treat postnatal depression.
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