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Postpartum Depression Goes Beyond 'Baby Blues'

Medication Can Be Used To Treat Condition

UPDATED: 5:44 p.m. EDT August 6, 2003

Postpartum depression is a very real problem for millions of new mothers, and doctors say it often affects highly educated, very driven women.

Psychologists believe a perfectionist is more easily upset by the stress and common chaos that accompany new motherhood. But the depression does not discriminate -- it cuts across all society lines and affects women in a wide range of varying degrees.

Andrea Yates made headlines when she drowned her five children one by one in the bathtub of her family's Texas home. In Philadelphia, Marie Noe was convicted of murdering eight babies over 20 years.

Dr. Barbara Lewin, at the Center For Post Partum Depression, with locations in Philadelphia and Princeton, N.J., said those extreme cases are very rare.

"It's essentially one or two in 1,000, whereas postpartum depression is 15 to 20 of (1,000) new births," Lewin said.

Lewin said that often, true postpartum depression is mistaken for the much milder and less devastating "baby blues" because women hide it. She said 80 percent of new mothers experience baby blues, but anything that lasts longer than three days to a week is really postpartum depression.

Experts say there are early warning signs of postpartum depression.

"A woman who develops depression during pregnancy is at much greater risk for developing postpartum depression after birth," Lewin said.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include:
  • Weepiness

  • Not being able to sleep because of excessive worrying

  • Acting agitated or anxious

  • Either extreme detachment from the child or over-involvement

Lewin runs the Pierce Woman's Mood Center, a nonprofit organization offering support groups and counseling in the Chestnut Hill Healthcare Women's Center in Philadelphia.

Lewin said if you are feeling depressed, you should talk about it with your spouse or partner and with your doctor.

Some cases can be treated with mild antidepressants that have been shown to be safe for nursing mothers. The new mother can also have someone take the baby temporarily so she can concentrate on herself for a while.

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Copyright 2003 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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