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POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
In Australia, around one in eight new mothers experience postnatal depression. This condition beings during the first year of parenthood, usually within the first four months. It needs to be distinguished from the very common baby blues' that occur around day three after giving birth and are thought to be related to the sudden hormone change that occurs at this time.
Postnatal depression is characterised by feelings of sadness, loss, irritability, resentment, anger and inadequacy. It can often be accompanied by insomnia, anxiety, poor memory and concentration.
The depression involved in this disorder cannot simply be attributed to the change in roles that occurs with the birth of a new baby. It is thought to result from a combination of physical, mental and social factors.
The first-step towards recovery is accepting the postnatal depression as an illness. It will usually get better by itself over time; however, treatment can not only shorten the duration of the illness, it can also reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Counselling and a range of the newer antidepressants are the most common means of treatment. Some very severe cases require hospitalisation.
In women, who have suffered postnatal depression, there's a 50% chance that depression symptoms will recur following subsequent births. While there is no proven way of preventing the condition, awareness can lessen its effects.
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and the effect may be insomnia. Selecting the right medications for you requires a clinician familiar with their use.
Lastly, over past decades countless people have found relief with monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitiors), such as Nardil and Parnate. Today these drugs are prescribed mainly by psychiatrists with extensive experience and knowledge about who will benefit from them., how they and what side effects might result. MAOs can cause serious interactions if combined with certain antidepressants, vasoconstrictors and decongestants. Also, they can produce problems when taken along with tyramine-rich foods such as dark chocolate, aged chesses and certain red wines.
If an antidepressant isn't making you feel better, your doctor may add a mood stabiliser, such as lithium, or a thyroid hormone to your regimen. Often one of these can make all the difference.
>Help! I've lost interest in sex since beginnnig my antidepressant medication.
Many antidepressants--SSRIs, tricyclics, MAO inhibitors--cause lack of interest in sex, as well as
difficulties with erections and orgasm. Some 80% of SSRI users struggle with these issues. Things might perk up as your body adjusts to the drug. Ask your doctor about lowering your dosage or skipping occasionally. Also, certain antidepressants (such as Serzone) are less likely to cause sexual problems.
>Do 'mood foods' work?
Proof is sparse, but many contend that packing your diet with certain foods makes you feel better due to increased levels of serotonin, the brain's mood controlling compound. Often suggested are complex carbohydrates (rice, potatoes) or foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan (turkey, salmon, milk). The best evidence is for omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain function, Good sources includes salmon, anchovies and caviar.
Procedures
Especially if you're only mildly depressed, counselling may be the place to start. When done well, this type of verbal (and non verbal) exchange can work as effectively as drugs. Certainly, side effects are less of an issue, and you don't have to worry about interactions with other medicines (this can be particularly important for older people who are taking lots of pills). There are drawbacks, however. Counselling alone is not effective for severe depression; this give-and-take process can take longer than drugs to work (results in six to eight weeks or more versus four to six weeks with medication) and it can be expensive.
A skilled therapist will often mix and match several therapeutic approaches based on what your'e going through. Psychodynamic therapy, for example, looks to past experiences to illuminate what
you're feeling now Interpersonal therapy, also known as crisis intervention, works especially well when an immediate problem--a child leaving home, a spouse dying---is causing you to feel low.
Behavioural therapy attempts to change destructive patterns of acting or thinking by honing your social skills, self-control and problem-solving strategies. It's particularly effective when the problem can be clearly defined and 'good behaviour' rewarded. This approach is often blended with cognitive therapy, which boosts confidence by showing how competent you can be if you're feeling inadequate or doomed to fall. In group therapy, you're given a chance to square your feelings (and solutions) with others.
If your depression is severe and counselling combined with medications still hasn't improved how you feel, your doctor may recommend electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered if you're losing touch with reality (psychosis) or threatening suicide.
Experts still aren't sure exactly why ECT works. Electrodes are placed on the head and an electric current is initiated, causing a brief convulsion. General anaesthesia is given to prevent sensing pain from muscle contractions. Typically, patients are treated every other day for five to seven sessions. Headache and memory loss sometimes occur, but are almost always temporary. Despite its Hollywood image as being barbaric, ECT is quite safe, and one study showed 80 percent of those with severe depression improved after the treatments.
PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS
If you're suffering depression, comments from family and friends such as 'snap out of it' are not only unhelpful but can be harmful. Ask your health advisor about information on depression for your friends to help them better understand the condition.
Swim, cycle, walk--get regular exercise--and you'll feel better in part because you took charge. you may also experience 'feel-good' (and pain-relieving) substances called endorphins. Countless studies reinforce the emotional lift of exercise. Stress and anxiety drop. Blood gets flowing. Blood pressure falls. Negative emotions--helplessness, anxiety, hostility--diminish. Even a simple 15-minute walk can enhance your mood. A small Johns Hopkins study found that adults who were fitter and relatively lean were more likely to feel happier. But the benefits won't last unless you keep at it.
Exercise also improves sleep, another key factor in improving mood. And the right amount of sleep is critical. Seven to eight hours a night is ideal. Avoid napping, and get up at the same time every morning. (For advice on good sleep habits, see Insomnia on next) Also aim fro a healthy diet. Poor eating can increase fatigue and feelings of unease.
You can also explore your spiritual side, whether religion or other beliefs, for answers to meaning in life. Meditation and yoga are risk-free ways to get a valuable perspective on your daily troubles. You'll also want to get a valuable perspective on your daily troubles. You'll also want to stay connected socially in any way that you can. Adopt a pet. Take a class. Or join a club related to something you're interested in (maybe bridge, chess, gardening or walking). If you find yourself turning to alcohol or drugs, ask your doctor about a support group that can help you reduce your intake.
POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
In Australia, around one in eight new mothers experience postnatal depression. This condition beings during the first year of parenthood, usually within the first four months. It needs to be distinguished from the very common baby blues' that occur around day three after giving birth and are thought to be related to the sudden hormone change that occurs at this time.
Postnatal depression is characterised by feelings of sadness, loss, irritability, resentment, anger and inadequacy. It can often be accompanied by insomnia, anxiety, poor memory and concentration.
The depression involved in this disorder cannot simply be attributed to the change in roles that occurs with the birth of a new baby. It is thought to result from a combination of physical, mental and social factors.
The first-step towards recovery is accepting the postnatal depression as an illness. It will usually get better by itself over time; however, treatment can not only shorten the duration of the illness, it can also reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Counselling and a range of the newer antidepressants are the most common means of treatment. Some very severe cases require hospitalisation.
In women, who have suffered postnatal depression, there's a 50% chance that depression symptoms will recur following subsequent births. While there is no proven way of preventing the condition, awareness can lessen its effects.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and the effect may be insomnia. Selecting the right medications for you requires a clinician familiar with their use.
Lastly, over past decades countless people have found relief with monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitiors), such as Nardil and Parnate. Today these drugs are prescribed mainly by psychiatrists with extensive experience and knowledge about who will benefit from them., how they and what side effects might result. MAOs can cause serious interactions if combined with certain antidepressants, vasoconstrictors and decongestants. Also, they can produce problems when taken along with tyramine-rich foods such as dark chocolate, aged chesses and certain red wines.
If an antidepressant isn't making you feel better, your doctor may add a mood stabiliser, such as lithium, or a thyroid hormone to your regimen. Often one of these can make all the difference.
>Help! I've lost interest in sex since beginnnig my antidepressant medication.
Many antidepressants--SSRIs, tricyclics, MAO inhibitors--cause lack of interest in sex, as well as
difficulties with erections and orgasm. Some 80% of SSRI users struggle with these issues. Things might perk up as your body adjusts to the drug. Ask your doctor about lowering your dosage or skipping occasionally. Also, certain antidepressants (such as Serzone) are less likely to cause sexual problems.
>Do 'mood foods' work?
Proof is sparse, but many contend that packing your diet with certain foods makes you feel better due to increased levels of serotonin, the brain's mood controlling compound. Often suggested are complex carbohydrates (rice, potatoes) or foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan (turkey, salmon, milk). The best evidence is for omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain function, Good sources includes salmon, anchovies and caviar.
Procedures
Especially if you're only mildly depressed, counselling may be the place to start. When done well, this type of verbal (and non verbal) exchange can work as effectively as drugs. Certainly, side effects are less of an issue, and you don't have to worry about interactions with other medicines (this can be particularly important for older people who are taking lots of pills). There are drawbacks, however. Counselling alone is not effective for severe depression; this give-and-take process can take longer than drugs to work (results in six to eight weeks or more versus four to six weeks with medication) and it can be expensive.
A skilled therapist will often mix and match several therapeutic approaches based on what your'e going through. Psychodynamic therapy, for example, looks to past experiences to illuminate what
you're feeling now Interpersonal therapy, also known as crisis intervention, works especially well when an immediate problem--a child leaving home, a spouse dying---is causing you to feel low.
Behavioural therapy attempts to change destructive patterns of acting or thinking by honing your social skills, self-control and problem-solving strategies. It's particularly effective when the problem can be clearly defined and 'good behaviour' rewarded. This approach is often blended with cognitive therapy, which boosts confidence by showing how competent you can be if you're feeling inadequate or doomed to fall. In group therapy, you're given a chance to square your feelings (and solutions) with others.
If your depression is severe and counselling combined with medications still hasn't improved how you feel, your doctor may recommend electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered if you're losing touch with reality (psychosis) or threatening suicide.
Experts still aren't sure exactly why ECT works. Electrodes are placed on the head and an electric current is initiated, causing a brief convulsion. General anaesthesia is given to prevent sensing pain from muscle contractions. Typically, patients are treated every other day for five to seven sessions. Headache and memory loss sometimes occur, but are almost always temporary. Despite its Hollywood image as being barbaric, ECT is quite safe, and one study showed 80 percent of those with severe depression improved after the treatments.
PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS
- Exciting research from the University of illinois indicates that a new technique--repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)--may ease server depression. A handheld wire coil is placed over the brain's left prefrontal cortex; in depressed people it often shows abnormal electrical activity and decreased blood flow. A foucsed and rapidly fluctuating magnetic field is administered. Unlike ECT, sedation is not necessary and memory problems arent't a risk.
If you're suffering depression, comments from family and friends such as 'snap out of it' are not only unhelpful but can be harmful. Ask your health advisor about information on depression for your friends to help them better understand the condition.
Swim, cycle, walk--get regular exercise--and you'll feel better in part because you took charge. you may also experience 'feel-good' (and pain-relieving) substances called endorphins. Countless studies reinforce the emotional lift of exercise. Stress and anxiety drop. Blood gets flowing. Blood pressure falls. Negative emotions--helplessness, anxiety, hostility--diminish. Even a simple 15-minute walk can enhance your mood. A small Johns Hopkins study found that adults who were fitter and relatively lean were more likely to feel happier. But the benefits won't last unless you keep at it.
Exercise also improves sleep, another key factor in improving mood. And the right amount of sleep is critical. Seven to eight hours a night is ideal. Avoid napping, and get up at the same time every morning. (For advice on good sleep habits, see Insomnia on next) Also aim fro a healthy diet. Poor eating can increase fatigue and feelings of unease.
You can also explore your spiritual side, whether religion or other beliefs, for answers to meaning in life. Meditation and yoga are risk-free ways to get a valuable perspective on your daily troubles. You'll also want to get a valuable perspective on your daily troubles. You'll also want to stay connected socially in any way that you can. Adopt a pet. Take a class. Or join a club related to something you're interested in (maybe bridge, chess, gardening or walking). If you find yourself turning to alcohol or drugs, ask your doctor about a support group that can help you reduce your intake.
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