The Postpartum Depression Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like postpartum depression, you are never alone. Countless women have faced exactly the same diagnosis and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.  

TSC has scoured the Web to assemble links to the very best postpartum depression resources: articles, blogs, forums, and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional, and other challenges that you're facing now.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this postpartum depression guide even more helpful to survivors like you.    

JUST FOUND OUT

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Postpartum Depression

• MedlinePlus: Postpartum Depression
• Postpartum Support International
• Mayoclinic.com: Postpartum depression
• Massachussetts General Hospital: Postpartum Psychiatric Disorder
  

The Big Picture

Postpartum depression (PPD) is experienced by some women after the birth of their babies. Mild cases of postpartum depression have been referred to as the "baby blues," but PPD is something more serious and is often accompanied by anxiety, mood swings, irritability, and sadness. The most severe form of postpartum depression is called postpartum psychosis, which involves hallucinations, delusions, thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby, and paranoia.

Unfortunately, postpartum depression may be underdiagnosed. Some women are embarrassed about their feelings and as a result some don’t seek the help they need at this difficult time. Remember that there are many women facing the same challenge and there are many resources available to help you get through this difficult time.

Brooklyn PPD Support: Could I Have PPD?

Your Postpartum Depression

While many women experience the "baby blues," if depression lasts longer than two weeks, you may have postpartum depression:

• WomensHealth.gov: Frequently Asked Questions - Depression During and After Pregnancy
• Mayoclinic.com: Postpartum Depression - When to seek medical advice
• PsychCentral.com: Recognizing the Baby Blues (Postpartum Depression)

It’s important to ask your physician about your symptoms; treatment options; how treatment may affect your baby; and what your risk for PPD might be following subsequent pregnancies:

American Family Physician: Postpartum Major Depression: Detection and Treatment

Your World

Women who have postpartum depression often feel ashamed and guilty -- that they should be overjoyed at the birth of their baby, but instead feel angry, confused, irritable, depressed and/or hopeless. You aren't alone, though: Consider calling Postpartum Support International's helpline and sharing these difficult emotions with someone who understands and can help:

Postpartum Support International Helpline: 1-800-944-4PPD

Postpartum Depression Myths

• "Depression is a normal part of early motherhood."
• "There's no treatment for postpartum depression.".
• "Motherhood is always instinctive."
  

MedEd PPD: Top 10 Myths About PPD

Recommended Links for Survivors

• Postpartum Support International - Resources
• FamilyDoctor.org: Postpartum Depression Action Plan
• Mayoclinic.com: Postpartum Depression

Types of Treatment

Anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications can be useful in treating PPD, as can talk therapy (aka counseling, or psychotherapy) and group support:

• The Ruth Rhoden Craven Foundation: Treatment
• MedlinePlus: Antidepressants
• Online PPD Support Group
• WrongDiagnosis.com: Doctors and Medical Specialists for Postpartum Depression

Holistic Treatments

Psychotherapy is a very effective non-drug option for treating PPD, but you may want to try some other complementary medicine options -- just be sure t let your doctor know, especially if you're taking a prescription drug(s):

Mothering Magazine: Alternative Treatments for Postpartum Mood Disorders

Possible Treatment Side Effects

All drugs bring the risk of side effects; talk to your doctor about the risks for you, especially if you're breastfeeding:

• Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: The Effectiveness of Various Postpartum Depression Treatments and the Impact of Antidepressant Drugs on Nursing Infants
• OBGYN.net: Postpartum Depression

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

Talk to your ob/gyn, midwife, family practitioner, or a mental health professional if you think you have PPD or if you've been diagnosed but the treatment plan you've been given isn't controlling your symptoms well.

Resources to Find Doctors and Support Groups

• Postpartum Support International's
  
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Mental Health America: How Do I Find Treatment?

Books Survivors Recommend

• Beyond the Blues: A Guide to Understanding And Treating Prenatal And Postpartum Depression by Shoshanna S. Bennett, Ph.D., and Pec Indman
• Down Came the Rain : My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields
• The Mother to Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book by Sandra Poulin
• What Am I Thinking? Having a Baby After Postpartum Depression by Karen Kleiman 
  

Dealing with Postpartum Depression: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors

How You Can Help

• Postpartum depression affects the entire family. Co-survivors should also monitor their own physical and emotional health during this time. Support can come in the form of other family, friends, and by bringing in support staff on a full- or part-time basis. Pregnancy.org: Post Partum Depression: Information for husbands and families
  
• Help yourself. Fathers often find themselves taking on more responsibility while their partners struggle with postpartum depression. Bringing in help when you are feeling overwhelmed may be helpful. In addition, finding ways to bond with the new baby will help her/him adjust to the new world. OrganizedWisdom: Postpartum Depression Tips for Husbands and Partnerd and PostpartumDadsProject.org

What to Say

• "It's not your fault that you feel like this."
• "We will get through this."
• "I'm here for you."
  

What Not to Say

• "Everyone gets depressed."
• "I guess you weren't ready to be a mother."
• "How can you not love your baby?"

Recovery / Remission / Recurrence

Recovery from PPD can take some time, especially if you're trying anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication for the first time. You may also need a little time to find a therapist you like, and to build a rapport with her/him. But once you have done these things, chances are very good that you will begin to successfully manage your symptoms and start to feel like yourself again. Try to be patient if it takes longer than you expected, but if you find yourself feeling very depressed, lethargic or even suicidal, it's time to seek help immediately. It can help to read stories of other women who've made it through PPD and are truly loving motherhood now:

• Postpartum.org: Journeys to Recovery
  
• PPDSupportPage.com: Group Member Stories
• Photos of Postpartum Survivors
  

If you're worried about becoming depressed again if you have another baby, that's a normal fear. Here's some advice to help you avoid a recurrence of PPD with your next child:

• Parents.com: 10 Ways to Prevent Postpartum Depression
• Babycenter.com: Is there anything I can do to prevent postpartum depression?

Postpartum psychosis is at the extreme end of the PPD continuum, and it is a serious, though rare, condition that requires decisive and immediate medical treatment. Women who have postpartum psychosis are in real danger of hurting themselves or their babies and may be hallucinating and/or experiencing delusions and extreme rage or agitation. If you or someone you love shows these symptoms do not leave her alone, or with her children alone, and seek medical help immediately: 

• Pregnancy-info.net: Postpartum Psychosis
• eMedicine.com: Postpartum Depression