Description of Postpartum Mood Disorders
Taken from Postpartum Support International's
Perinatal Mood Disorders Fact Sheet
Depression/Anxiety in Pregnancy: It is estimated that 8.5-11% (Gaynes, et. al 2005) of women experience major or minor depression following childbirth. Symptoms
differ for everyone, and may include: feelings of anger, fear and/or
guilt, lack of interest in the baby, appetite and sleep disturbance,
difficulty concentrating/making decisions, and possible thoughts of
harming the baby or oneself.
Postpartum Depression: Approximately 6.5-12.9% (Gaynes, et. al 2005) of women experience major or minor depression following childbirth. Symptoms differ for everyone, and may include: feelings
of anger, fear and/or guilt, lack of interest in the baby, appetite and
sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating/making decisions, and
possible thoughts of harming the baby or oneself.
Postpartum Panic Disorder: This is a form of anxiety that occurs in up to 11% of new mothers. Symptoms include: feeling
very nervous, recurring panic attacks (shortness of breath, chest pain,
heart palpitations), many worries or fears (Wisner, Peindl &
Hanusa, 1996).
Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: This is the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed of the perinatal disorders. It is estimates that as many as 3-5% of new mothers will experience the following symptoms: Obsessions
(persistent thoughts or mental images related to the baby), Compulsions
(doing things over and over to reduce the fears and obsessions), a
sense of horror abut the obsessions. These mothers know their thoughts are bizarre and are very unlikely to ever act on them (Brandes et al, 2004).
Postpartum Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An estimated 1-6% (Beck, 2004) of women experience PTSD after childbirth. Symptoms typically include: Traumatic
childbirth experience with a re-experiencing of the trauma (dreams,
thoughts, etc.), avoidance of stimuli associated with the event
(thoughts, feelings, people, places, details of event, etc.), and
persistent increased arousal (irritability, difficulty sleeping,
hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response).
Postpartum Psychosis: Occurs in approximately 1.1-4 of every 1,000
deliveries (Gaynes et. al, 2005). The onset is usually sudden with
symptoms including: delusions (strange beliefs) and/or hallucinations,
feeling very irritated, hyperactive, and unable to sleep, and
significant mood changes with poor decision-making. There is a 10% infanticide/suicide rate associated with Psychosis and thus immediate treatment is imperative.
Beck, C. 2004. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Due to Childbirth, The Aftermath. Nursing Research 53(4):216-224.
Brandes, M., Soares,
C.N., & Cohen, L.S. (2004). Postpartum onset obsessive compulsive
disorder: Diagnosis and management. Archives in Women's Mental Health, 7, 99-110.
Gaynes, et al., (2005).
Recently MSOffice, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ), in collaboration with the Safe Motherhood Group (SMG),
commissioned an evidence report on postpartum depression from the
Research Triangle International - University of North Carolina's
Evidence Based Practice Center. The report (Gaynes et al., 2005) was
released in February 2005, and identifies gaps in the science as well
as evidence on outcomes of screening for postpartum depression.
Wisner, K.L., Peindl,
K.S., & Hanusa, B.H. (1996). Effects of childbearing on the natual
history of panic disorder with comorbid mood disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 41, 173-180.
©2006, Postpartum Support International
