Pregnancy and Depression – Things You Must Know and Understand

Depression is a state of mind, where the patient is always sad, anxious, irritated, and doesn’t have any interest in doing anything. According to medical science, it a serious mental illness related to brain. Nowadays, the case of pregnant women suffering from it has become very common, and the numbers are increasing gradually. It is observed that about 13% of new mothers and pregnant women suffer from depression.

A woman during her pregnancy experiences undergoes through several hormonal changes, which is one of the main reasons that causes this disorder. Not to worry, as it can be properly treated.  Handling depression with pregnancy is a lot more complicated. Both mother and the new born baby can be affected, if it is not treated on time.

How to recognize if you have depression?

There is a possibility that during pregnancy, you fail to realize your state of mind and thus ignore it. If you suffer from any of the below mentioned symptoms or more than two weeks then it is recommended to consult a doctor soon.

  • Feel hopeless, sad, and overwhelmed
  • Feel restless or get moody
  • Cry a lot
  • Experiencing lack of energy or motivation
  • Do not enjoy things and activities, you used to
  • Change in eating habits (consume too little or too much)
  • Get a disturbed sleep, either too less or too much.
  • Lack of self confidence, trouble in focusing, or in making decisions
  • Start forgetting things
  • Feel guilty and worthless
  • Start avoiding friends and family
  • Continuously have stomach problem, headaches, and body pains

Discussing these symptoms with your doctor is crucial. They can diagnose and understand the cause of the issue and treat it accordingly.

Causes of depression during pregnancy:

Depression is not at all related to a single problem instead, it is a combination of several factors. In many cases, this disorder runs in families. Thus, there are greater possibilities that a woman who has a family history of this mental illness can have it too. Moreover, a change in brain chemistry also plays a vital role in depression. Traumatic life events like death of a dear one, abuse, poverty, etc. can also potentially trigger depression.

Treatment for depression:

In general, there are two types of treatment to cure this disorder. The first one is talking therapy and the second is medication. In talking therapy the therapist or a psychologist constantly interacts with the patient. This will certainly change the way you think and imbibes positive waves within you.

Next, if you opt for medication you doctor will prescribe you some antidepressant medicines. These tablets are capable of relieving you from the symptoms of depression. You might have to follow both the treatments, if the issue is too serious.

Conclusion

Proper depression treatment is quite essential. The best thing to do is talk to someone about your state of mind and seeks their advice. You need to learn the art of keeping yourself motivated and happy all the time.

Alexsey is the author of this article. You could check out my website to learn all about issues faced by women with becoming pregnant. We also provide information related to false positive pregnancy test.

About the Author

INC Staff Writer
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