When does depression usually appear after giving birth?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Pham Thi Tuyet Mai - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Postpartum depression usually appears in the first 2-3 months after birth with manifestations such as anxiety, sadness, insomnia, anger... If the patient is not detected and treated promptly, the disease can increasingly severe and unfortunate consequences may occur.

Postpartum depression is a condition that women may experience after giving birth. The disease usually appears in the first 2-3 months, especially the first 3 weeks after giving birth. Postpartum depression can last from a few months to even a few years. The disease not only affects the patient directly, but also adversely affects the child and other family members.

The signs of depression are vague and easy to overlook. However, it is not until after birth that the disease can be detected because right in the pregnancy, the signs of postpartum depression have gradually appeared.
Symptoms in pregnancy that warn of postpartum depression:
The most common manifestations are anxiety, fear, mood swings, often feeling sad, hopeless, irritable, easy to cry Body fatigue, difficulty sleeping, not sleeping well or sleeping a lot during the day. Eating habits change.

Nausea and vomiting with high intensity, prolonged Appears abnormal hyperactive behaviors such as disregarding the doctor's instructions, not taking measures to protect their health. More rarely, signs of psychosis, such as the onset of delusions or the onset of schizophrenia, may occur in the later months of pregnancy. There may appear some related conditions such as pregnancy complications, preeclampsia, polyneuritis. Manifestations of postpartum depression:
After giving birth, symptoms of sadness, anxiety, and insomnia continue to appear. Accompanied by an attitude of alienation, not wanting to contact family, friends and even children. Feeling helpless, unable to protect your child, not wanting to be close to your child or even intending to harm them Always feeling that someone wants to harm you, often having thoughts of suicide

Postpartum depression not only directly affects the mother but also adversely affects the child and other family members.
For the child: The child is not well cared for or even at risk of being killed because the mother is paranoid. For the mother: Always thinking about suicide, this rate is more than 40%. For relatives: Having to always observe and watch over the mother and the baby leads to wasting time and neglecting work. There was a case of being beaten and stabbed by a paranoid mother

To treat postpartum depression, besides medication, psychotherapy and family support play an extremely important role.

Insight-oriented psychotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of postpartum depression. Patients need to believe in themselves, be patient, try to improve day by day. Patients can visit the counselor about once a week. Relatives need to support and encourage the patient. Make sure the patient is taking the correct medication.

Some commonly used postpartum depression medications such as: Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Venlafaxine. These drugs have been shown to be effective and well tolerated by many studies. In cases where the patient develops severe symptoms of anxiety, a benzodiazepine can be added. Antidepressants may be excreted in milk and this excretion varies from drug to drug. Fluoxetine and Sertraline can pass into breast milk and cause complications in the newborn, but these are rare.