{"id":626567,"date":"2024-02-02T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=626567"},"modified":"2024-10-25T10:11:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:11:11","slug":"postpartum-depression-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/postpartum-depression-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"The prevalence of postpartum depression"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having a new baby is a life-altering experience, and many assume that it is a universally joyful one. That assumption can lead to mental health stigma for new moms who have complex and nuanced experiences after childbirth. The idea that new parents are supposed to be full of bliss is just one of the reasons that postpartum depression (PPD), also called perinatal depression, often goes undetected. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Postpartum depression can be especially insidious, as new parents expect to feel excited and happy about their babies,” says <\/span>Alex Juusela<\/span><\/a>, an OB-GYN in Detroit and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow at the National Institutes of Health Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University \/ Detroit Medical Center. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, symptoms of postpartum depression go untreated for the same reasons. “Postpartum depression often goes undiagnosed as patients can fear the stigma surrounding depression and hide or not report their symptoms,” Dr. Juusela explains. That’s why understanding PPD and proper screening is so important. There are effective courses of treatment for PPD available, but the cultural taboo around talking about women’s health conditions and mental health renders them unavailable to new mothers with the highest risk factors. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is postpartum depression?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Postpartum depression can be defined as depression that manifests within the first year after a person has been pregnant, says <\/span>Gayle MacBride<\/span><\/a>, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and cofounder of telehealth provider Veritas Psychology Partners. “PPD is often triggered by significant hormonal fluctuations (estrogen\/progesterone and even thyroid changes), sleep deprivation, physical stress from childbirth, lack of social support, and the challenges of adjusting to parenthood,” MacBride says. People who have experienced depression or anxiety outside the perinatal time are at an increased risk for PPD. <\/span><\/p>\n

Postpartum depression symptoms<\/span><\/a> include extreme fatigue, mood swings, irritability, feelings of guilt or inadequacy as a parent, changes in appetite, and difficulty bonding with the baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

The difference between postpartum depression and major depression or depressive disorder is, as Dr. Juusela explains, really a matter of timing. “The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM IV) specifies that the postpartum depressive episode begins within four weeks of giving birth,” he says but adds that we know from reporting of behavioral health clinicians that PPD can appear any time in the year after a person gives birth. <\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, PPD can be confused with other kinds of mental illness, or it can be written off as “baby blues.” While the “baby blues” are common and mild feelings of sadness after giving birth, they generally resolve a few weeks after giving birth. PPD and postpartum mood disorders persist for longer and may have more intense symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n

How common is postpartum depression?<\/span><\/h2>\n