Women's Health
Are you a woman undergoing a life change? Do you have a new or old diagnosis and plan to become pregnant?
A woman’s life is marked by several biological transitions that can affect mood. Menses, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause are all life-affirming landmarks that are primal and a source of great joy and identity. At the same time, they are all times of transformation, a loss of previous identity and a time of growth. These times can prove to be vulnerable for many women. As a female-owned practice, we love working with women through these challenges and helping to maintain stability.
According to MGH Center for Women's Mental Health, 85% of women experience some type of mood disturbance & about 50 to 85% of women experience postpartum blues during the first few weeks after delivery. While these symptoms are mild and do not interfere with the responsibility of motherhood, in some cases where there is history of mental illnesses or if these symptoms last longer than a few weeks, they may need to be treated.
Postpartum psychiatric illness is typically divided into three categories: (1) postpartum blues (2) postpartum depression and (3) postpartum psychosis. It may be useful to conceptualize these disorders as existing along a continuum, where postpartum blues is the mildest and postpartum psychosis the most severe form of postpartum psychiatric illness. Typical symptoms of postpartum depression are:
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Tearfulness
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Loss of interest in usual activities
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Feelings of guilt
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Feelings of worthlessness or incompetence
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Suicidal thoughts
In severe cases, you may even have scary thoughts about harming your baby that are highly distressing.
If you are unsure if you might benefit from treatment, we can together elucidate what is going on and use evidence-based treatments to help you feel better. Studies have shown that when mom feels better, bonding with baby is easier. Improvement in postpartum depression has immediate and downstream benefits to you and your child. We are comfortable guiding you through the pros and cons of different combinations of therapy and medication through pregnancy planning, birth, and postpartum.
Still not sure?
Psychiatrists use a questionnaire called EPDS to determine if you need to be treated for depression. You can find it here. Follow the instruction to determine illness severity
Here are some resources that may be helpful:
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MGH Center of Women's Health: https://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics-2/postpartum-psychiatric-disorders-2/
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Mother to Baby: https://mothertobaby.org/pregnancy-breastfeeding-exposures/depression/
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Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24152-postpartum-psychosis
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Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20376617