Postpartum Depression

What is postpartum depression?

They say having a baby is supposed to be the happiest event of your life. Everyone gets excited about the idea but having a baby is not always what you expect. Even if your baby is the cutest one ever born! Having a baby is challenging, both physically and emotionally. It is natural for many new mothers to have mood swings after delivery, feeling happy one minute and depressed the next. These feelings are sometimes known as the “baby blues” and usually start within three days of giving birth and lasting up to 14 days. Up to 80% of mothers experience these blues. Symptoms include sadness, crying spells, poor concentration, and irritability. Reassurance and understanding of what’s going on, taking care of yourself and getting support will help you to feel better. These feelings usually pass without treatment.

Some women, however, may experience a deep and ongoing depression which lasts much longer. This is called postpartum depression. This depression can begin at any time within four weeks post-birth, and may last up to several months or even a year. Postpartum depression is a common illness that can be effectively treated and prevented. The sooner the condition is diagnosed, the more effective the treatment.

Symptoms

Below are some typical symptoms. If you have been feeling any of these symptoms for more than two weeks you may have a postpartum depression.

• Sad and tearful mood
• Worn out, but unable to sleep
• Changes in appetite
• Overwhelmed and can't concentrate or make decisions
• No interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
• Restless, irritable or angry
• Anxiety, you may feel this as aches, chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness, tingling or "lump" in the throat
• Not yourself
• Ashamed, hopeless or frustrated
• A bad mother
• Feelings of inadequacy, guilt, worthlessness
• Not bonding with the baby, afraid to be alone with the baby
• Have repeated scary thoughts about the baby, or of harming the baby
• Suicidal thoughts

How common is it?

Almost 15% of women will suffer from some degree of postpartum depression and other postpartum mood disorders after the birth of a baby. Postpartum depression is the most common complication of child-bearing. Despite the sensational stories in the media, postpartum depression it is not unusual or scary. It is actually quite common.

What causes it?

It is not your fault. It is not a sign of weakness and you don’t have to suffer and tough it out. The exact cause of this disorder is not known but physical, hormonal, social, psychological and emotional factors may all play a part in triggering this illness. It is important to understand that this is a medical condition and you did not bring it on yourself.

Some women are more likely to develop this disorder. You are more at risk if you have:

• Been depressed or anxious during your pregnancy
• A history of depression and/or other mood disorders
• Family members with mood disorders
• Had a recent stressful life event such as a move or a loss in the family, or complicated pregnancy, labour or delivery
• Little social support
• Relationship difficulties with close family members
• Severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

How is postpartum depression treated?

There are many safe treatments. As with any medical condition speak with your health care provider to consider risks and benefits to decide what is best for you. Therapy, support networks and medicines such as antidepressants are used to treat postpartum depression. Counseling and psychotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment and an acceptable choice for women who wish to avoid taking medications while breastfeeding. And social supports by a public health nurse, friends and family can help.

How can family help?

Family can best help by assisting with meals, laundry, shopping etc. Trying to help by taking care of the baby may be more fun but can undermine a new mother’s confidence in her parenting and interfere with the new bond between mother and child. If you are concerned about a family member developing postpartum depression, encourage them to seek out support and to get checked out by their health care provider. If invited, you can offer to accompany them to their initial appointment and convey your concerns.

Coping with postpartum depression

First, remember that you are not alone and you are not to blame. Here are some suggestions for coping:

• Focus on short-term, rather than long-term goals. Build something to look forward to into every day, such as a walk, a bath, a chat with a friend
• Look for free or inexpensive activities; check with your local library, community centre or place of worship
• Take care of yourself. Try to rest, eat healthy foods and get some fresh air and exercise.
• Getting as good nights sleep as possible is important and sleep assisting medications might be helpful.
• Take time for yourself. Accept offers for help with household chores and brief baby-sitting so you can have a break.
• Spend time with your partner and/or close friends
• Share your feelings and ask for help
• Consult your doctor and look for a local support group
• Go to your local emergency room anytime if in crisis (thoughts/plans to hurt yourself, others or baby).

More information

For further information about postpartum depression contact a community organization, health care provider or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

Related Web Sites:

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Canadian Mental Health Association

Pacific Postpartum Support Society

Postpartum Support International

Depression After Delivery

Online PPD Support Group

mentalhealthminute.com

Loss and Grief

Losing a loved one is something that many of us fear and is among the most stressful events you will experience. It may feel like you are going crazy but remember, there is no right or wrong way to feel and it is natural to experience lots of different emotions.
Understanding grief

Grief is the normal response to the loss of someone or something important to you. It is the emotions you feel as you cope and learn to live with this loss. You may experience grief due to a death, a divorce or a job loss. Grief can be difficult but it is not an illness. It’s part of normal human experience, and the natural cycle of life.

What does grief feel like?
Everyone grieves differently. Grief is one of the most personal experiences you will go through, and people from different cultural backgrounds may have very different customs and practices.
Contrary to popular belief, there are no stages of grief that you must go through. Grief is personal, and the feelings, thoughts, behaviors that effect you are yours alone and very personal. Nevertheless there may be some similarities in experience that you may find helpful.
Following a death or loss, you may feel empty or numb, as if you are in shock. You may notice physical changes such as trembling, nausea, trouble breathing, muscle weakness, dry mouth, or trouble sleeping and eating.

After the initial shock starts to wear off you may begin to feel things again. You may feel sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness, bitterness, fear, and nervousness. This is a painful time, but a normal part of grieving. Most people will find that with time they adapt but it can take weeks, months or even years to adjust to the loss.
Eventually you will begin to focus on daily tasks again. You do not need to feel guilty about this! It is healthy for your life to move forward. And your relationship with your lost loved one is never completely forgotten. It is normal to continue to feel strong feelings of loss from time to time. Humans are capable of more then one feeling at a time. You can get on with enjoying your life while still being sad and grieving your loss. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Grieving is not a weakness; it is necessary. We need time to understand that the loss has actually occurred, to deal with the emotions that follow and to balance moving our lives forward again. Refusing to grieve may at times be temporarily protective but hopefully you feel permission to experience and express your feelings in whatever way feels right for you.

Grief can challenge your assumptions about the world, and it may take time to find meaning and purpose in life again. Loss can be a stimulus and for some a gift to finding new meaning and purpose to your life and future.

How to cope with your own grief:

• Stay connected with other people. Spend time with family, friends, community, and perhaps members of a self-help group, who have been through the experience of loss and grief.

• Take enough time. Everyone reacts differently to a loss. It will probably take longer than you expect and at times catch you off guard.

• Acknowledge your emotions. Let yourself feel sadness, anger and other feelings.

• Give yourself permission to choose where, when and with whom to express your feelings.

It’s allowed and part of a healthy grief experience.

• Recognize that you may be less attentive to your work and personal relationships for some time.

• Reach out for help. Don't always rely on others to make the first move; they may be concerned about allowing you your privacy.

• Take care of your physical health. Be sure to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep. Speak with your doctor if you feel your grief is affecting your health.

• Return to interests and activities you may have stopped doing.

• Be thoughtful about major life changes. Consider waiting before making big decisions, such as moving, remarrying or having another child.

Sometimes our grief becomes too much for us to handle on our own. In such cases speaking to a professional may help to re-establish a normal or healthy grief process. Some signs that you may benefit from speaking to a care provider include:

• Extreme avoidance or downplaying of the process of mourning (quickly returning to normal life, keep extra busy, not dealing with the emotions)

• Feeling stuck in the extreme feelings (overwhelmed by constant anger, sadness or guilt)

• Relying on drugs or alcohol to help you cope

• Finding yourself unable to function in various parts of your life

• Developing symptoms of a clinical depression, constant sadness, and lack of interest

• Thoughts or plans of ending your life/suicide to join your loved one or ease the pain. Seek emergency help if suicidal.

How to help a friend who is grieving

It can be difficult to watch a friend grieve. You may feel guilty and helpless, or feel there is little you can do to comfort your friend. This is a natural feeling. But there are some ways that you can help.

• Consider offering to provide meals and assist with funeral details, and other tasks that follow death

• Accept your friend's need to tell repeated stories about the life and death of their loved one, and recognize your healthy limits and availability to listen

• Encourage involvement in social activities, special interest groups, and hobbies

• If reactions are extreme, encourage professional help and provide the support necessary to assist your friend to take this step

More information

For further information about grief contact a community organization or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

Related Websites:
Canadian Mental Health Association

Mother’s Against Drunk Driving

Caring Connections

Regional Palliative Care Program

mentalhealthminute.com

Teleseminars for September are now full- thank you for your interest!

Please come back for new dates and times or subscribe to our rss feed and you'll be notified when we have details.

mentalhealthminute.com

What is ADHD?

In today’s fast paced world of video games and high speed internet it seems as though everyone is having trouble paying attention to anything for more than a split second. But for some kids this restlessness actually indicates a mental health problem. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a term used to describe patterns of behaviour that appear most often in school-aged children but can sometimes linger in to adulthood. Children with these disorders are inattentive, overly impulsive and, in the case of ADHD, hyperactive. They have difficulty sitting still, attending to one thing for a long period of time, and may seem overactive. It is hard for these children to control their behaviour and/or pay attention. They sometimes get into trouble at school as they can’t easily sit still or focus on what’s being taught. For some people it’s the attentional deficit that predominates (ADD) and for others it’s the hyperactivity-impulsivity that predominates. For many it is a combination of both the inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.

This disorder interferes with the learning process because it reduces the child's ability to pay attention. It is important to understand that ADHD is not a learning disability, a condition that affects the child’s ability to learn, but it may be present in addition to a learning disability.

How common is it?

ADHD is the most common mental health problem that affects children. Approximately 3-5% of children around the world have ADHD. This means that in a classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD. Also approximately 8-10% of males and 3-4 % of females under the age of 18 years have ADHD.

The Cause of ADHD

Unfortunately the specifics of this disorder are unknown but ADHD is likely a problem related to the hard wiring of circuits within the brain. Like other psychiatric disorders, there is most likely a chemical imbalance in the brain. ADHD has nothing to do with how smart or intelligent you are. It’s the brains ability to filter all the outside stimuli and internal thoughts and select and stay focused on the appropriate thing that’s compromised.

Symptoms of ADHD

All children can be restless, fidgety or daydream the time away. But when the child's hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to significantly affect performance in school, relationships with other children, or behaviour at home, ADHD may be suspected. But because the symptoms vary so much across settings, ADHD is not easy to diagnose. This is especially true when distraction is the biggest symptom.

Other common symptoms are:
• Impulsive, aggressive or violent behaviour
• withdrawal, anxiety and depression
• Low self-esteem
• Physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach or back aches, or pains in the hands or legs.
• Becoming the "class clown" or the "class bully,"
• Avoiding or refusing to become involved in activities where he/she is unsure of success.

Symptoms of ADHD will appear over the course of many months, often with the symptoms of impulsiveness and hyperactivity preceding those of inattention, which may not emerge for a year or more.

The behaviours must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months. Above all, the behaviours must create a real difficulty in at least two areas of a child's life, at school, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings.

Diagnosis

ADHD may be suspected by a parent or caregiver or may go unnoticed until the child runs into problems at school. Given that ADHD tends to affect functioning in school, sometimes the teacher is the first to recognize that a child is hyperactive or inattentive and may point it out to the parents and/or consult with the school psychologist. If your child’s teacher has any concern you may want to speak with your child's pediatrician or family doctor.

With the right kind of help, most children with ADHD overcome their disabilities, and their emotional problems usually disappear. They do better at school, improve their relationships with family and friends, and will be more likely to achieve their full potential. With help from family, school and other professional people, children with ADHD have more than a good chance to grow up to be healthy, happy and productive adults.

Adult ADHD
Adults can also suffer from ADHD. It’s often that when a child is being assessed for symptoms of ADHD that a parent sometimes notices that “those symptoms sound just like me” or some other adult in the family. In adults it’s often the distraction and inattention (ADD) that lingers, and they may be thought of as visionary dreamers with great ideas but all over the place, with difficulty sticking to one thing. They may be in careers that fall below their potential or can be very successful in their careers despite being scattered at times. Often in adults it is the inattention that persists even though they outgrow some of the hyperactivity. The good news is that with the right kind of help adults can improve functioning at work and home and improve their relationships and quality of life. Often adults wish they had known about their ADHD earlier in their lives as it can explain some things in their past and make for a happier and more satisfying future.

More information

For further information about ADHD contact a community organization, health care provider or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

Related Web Sites:

Canadian Mental Health Association

National Institute of Mental Health

Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance

mentalhealthminute.com