How long does postpartum depression last?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Postpartum depression is the type of depression you can get after the birth of your baby. This is a condition in which the mother is emotionally disturbed, often has negative thoughts, is tired, bored and worried about many problems in life. This condition can begin at any time during the first year of childbirth, but is most common in the first 3 weeks after birth.
So how long does postpartum depression last? It's really difficult to answer how long postpartum depression lasts, because it can be mild, moderate, or severe, it can go away on its own or even won't go away on its own without treatment. timely treatment. Postpartum depression is divided into 2 types:
Early-onset type: Appears with mild, short severity in the first days or weeks after giving birth. Late-onset type: Appears a few weeks after birth and persists.

Causes of postpartum depression can include:
Physiological: From pregnancy to birth, hormone changes are quite strong, sudden decrease in estrogen and progesterone. Due to such a rapid drop in hormones, it can be the main cause of depression. In addition, adrenal and thyroid hormones decrease, which can cause depression
Physical: Women who have suffered from depression in the past are three to five times more likely to experience postpartum depression compared to normal people. In addition, mothers who are young, have a history of stress, anxiety, or mothers with a history of psychological problems can also develop postpartum depression.

In terms of psychosocial: The reason is that taking care of the baby after birth is quite difficult, the baby sleeps and sucks milk at a fixed time, so the mother is often in a state of fatigue and insomnia leading to debilitated body. When a mother's mental and physical health is impaired for a long time, stress, anxiety, and depression appear. This is one of the main causes of postpartum depression symptoms. Genetic factors: If a family member has depression, the risk of postpartum depression is high.
There are also some other causes of postpartum depression such as: Weight gain and job change after giving birth; lack of support from husband and family; The family's financial problems are not good,...
Postpartum depression symptoms include:
Pain in certain areas of the body, this symptom will get worse if not treated. Often feel stressed and lack of confidence when meeting friends. Feeling panic over everyday situations and finding it hard to calm down. Stress makes depression worse. Postpartum depression is difficult for mothers to relax and cannot be resolved with sedation. Mothers with depression often have obsessions, perhaps about a particular person, situation, or activity. Some people may become fearful and believe that they are a danger to family members, especially the child. Besides, it can be accompanied by guilt. A mother with postpartum depression often finds it difficult to focus on things. Sometimes they can't organize their thoughts, and then they sit down and do nothing and feel very bad. Sleep disorders when depressed., some people can't sleep, others sleep intermittently, or wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes have nightmares. Loss of interest in sex can happen to mothers with postpartum depression, so fathers should be patient and try to comfort their wives regularly to quickly recover from postpartum depression. Some other symptoms also indicate signs of postpartum depression such as: Change in appetite and weight gain or loss; slow reaction even often thinking of death and suicide,...

For the mother herself: Postpartum depression causes the mother to lose weight, lose weight, and malnourish; mental depression causing paranoia, dangerous behavior.
For relatives: Husband and children are often not well taken care of; family quarrels, not happy; Some people suffer from psychotic postpartum depression, so there is always a feeling of being harmed and seeking revenge or coping.
Affects mother-child interaction: The baby's senses from 3 months of age, even earlier have begun to show, this is the period for the development of communication skills in children. Postpartum depressed mothers often express poor emotions, sometimes upset with their babies. Lack of mother's interaction affects the cognitive development, communication skills, language development of children later.

In mild and moderate cases, psychological treatment will be indicated, creating a peaceful, warm and safe environment for the mother by:
Helping the mother take care of the baby day and night in the first month. Reducing psychological stress for mothers, creating the most favorable opportunities for mothers to rest and regain physical and mental balance. In the case of moderate postpartum depression, it is necessary to:
Counsel and explain to mothers and family members that this is a depression of postpartum mother's emotional disorder, this type of depression can treatable and cause no long-term harm to mother or baby; Ask family members and fathers to help mom take care of the baby day and night; Talk to your mother more often to reduce stress, anxiety and sadness; Instruct the mother to practice breathing when stressed (2 times/day, 10 minutes each time); Make sure the mother is rested and well fed. In case of severe postpartum depression:
Use medication as prescribed by a psychiatrist Absolutely do not automatically buy oral medication because it is very dangerous to mother and child. In the absence of a psychiatrist, a face-to-face telephone consultation is required. To prevent postpartum depression, it is necessary to create psychological comfort during pregnancy, and have regular antenatal check-ups. Pregnant mothers need to be provided with information on maternity care and care for children after birth. In addition, you should spend time relaxing for yourself, friends and family to learn from the experience of taking care of children.
Relatives in the family need to take care of and take care of the body, creating psychology for the mother; Avoid putting pressure on the mother and should not pay too much attention to the child but neglect to take care of the mother, making them feel lonely, bored, and easily lead to postpartum depression.
To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact the nationwide Vinmec Health System Hotline, or register online HERE.