There are so many women who have a very different temperament after giving birth to a child. She may suddenly be depressed and not say a word, or she may inexplicably lash out at you, get irritable and cry a lot, or she may suddenly hurt her child or even herself. At this point you, as a husband or a friend, may shout at her: Are you crazy!
She is not crazy, she is depressed.
Postpartum depression: It is the most common type of puerperal psychiatric syndrome that occurs after childbirth. It usually develops within 2 weeks after delivery, and the symptoms are obvious in 4-6 weeks after delivery, and about 8%-15% of patients develop it within 2-3 months after delivery. The incidence rate varies between domestic and foreign reports, ranging from 3.5% to 33% in western countries and 3.85% to 18.48% in China. However, with the increase of social competition and awareness of the disease, its incidence has been increasing year by year, which seriously endangers the physical and mental health of mothers and infants. Most patients with postpartum depression can recover in 3-5 months, and about two-thirds of them can recover within a year, but there is a 20%-30% recurrence rate if they are pregnant again.
I. Manifestations of postpartum depression
It is a mental disorder characterized by depression, sadness, frustration, crying, irritability, irritability and in severe cases, hallucinations or suicide.
Second, the causes of postpartum depression
The etiology of postpartum depression is complex, and the pathogenesis has not been clarified so far, most of them are thought to be related to the following factors.
1.Endocrine In the puerperium, endocrine changes are the biological basis for the occurrence of postpartum depression. The occurrence of postpartum depression may be related to the disturbance of the balance of gonadal hormones. In addition, some studies have reported that it is also related to thyroid malfunction.
2, psychological degeneration phenomenon psychoanalysts believe that all women during pregnancy and postpartum will appear psychological “degeneration” phenomenon (i.e., become more childish in behavior), this change can cause psychological conflict.
Psychosocial factors such as poor maternal behavior, poor emotional control, lack of psychological preparation before delivery, lack of family support, gender and health status of the baby, lack of experience in caring for children, housing difficulties, poor relationship between husband and wife, etc., can trigger the occurrence of postpartum depression and accelerate its development.
4, maternal personality introvert type of maternal personality, worry, emotional instability, etc., easy to produce depression, irritability, anxiety and other emotions.
5, the mode of delivery there is research to prove that the incidence of postpartum depression in mothers with surgical delivery is higher than that in mothers with non-surgical delivery. Maternal labor produces a certain psychological pressure because of the pain itself, plus the tension and fear of surgical birth, as well as some postpartum complications, which will very easily trigger depression and anxiety if no timely psychological guidance is given to the mother [4].
6, genetic history of psychiatric disorders in families with a history of postpartum depression in particular, the incidence of postpartum depression is higher than that of mothers without a family history of the disorder.
Third, the prevention of postpartum depression
1, do a good job in maternal health care, pregnant women and their families need to correctly understand the physiology of pregnancy and childbirth, promote mutual support of family members, and reduce the pressure of pregnant women in all aspects.
2, medical personnel use language skills when providing services to avoid negative medical source. If it is not appropriate to arrange normal mothers to live with mothers who have deformed babies, stillbirths or stillbirths, the medical staff should give them more kindness and care to help them get out of the psychological haze as soon as possible.
3, the process of childbirth and pain has a greater impact on postpartum depression, give full attention to the process of childbirth, fully support physiologically and psychologically, and pay attention to the positive effect of the husband’s participation on the mother.
4.Intervention for those with high risk factors (abnormal emotion before pregnancy, surgical delivery, difficult delivery, stalled delivery, etc.), early psychological counseling and counselling.
5.Postpartum depression is different from typical depression in that depression is not necessarily the initial or most important symptom of the patient, and patients may first experience insomnia, anxiety, agitation, confusion of consciousness, etc. Maternal screening and diagnosis can be made through the Perinatal Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) for early treatment.
IV. Treatment of postpartum depression
At present, most of the treatments for postpartum depression are based on psychotherapy, supplemented by medication when necessary.
Every woman is an angel with broken wings, you don’t care where she first landed, anyway, she came down to earth for you, married with you as a wife, to give birth to children for you, especially after giving birth, but also prone to depression, when serious may have the impulse to leave the mortal world to return to heaven. So as a husband you should take good care of your wife before and after childbirth, work hard and let your wife feel the love from your broad chest, do not easily move to leave your heart is the most important ah!
May each birth mother are happy and happy, away from the torture of depression, do a happy and healthy mother!