Women who suffer from some form of postpartum depression (PPD) face a double whammy. Not only is the condition poorly understood in the general population, all forms of depression carry a stigma, even among many health care professionals. Not only do women suffering from these conditions face a potential uphill road to treatment, they also often have to overcome the feeling that their negative emotions are somehow their own fault.

This is not the case. PPD and other associated emotional instabilities associated with pregnancy are based in hormones and brain chemistry. Women suffering from one of these maladies can no more "just snap out of it" than a person suffering from cancer can cure themselves by willing it. In fact, some women who have lived through bouts with cancer and PPD say the depression associated with PPD was worse.

Hormones

Complicating the problem is that there is not just one form of postpartum psychiatric illness. Postpartum depression can range from a case of the "baby blues" that lasts for a week or two after delivery and requires no treatment to full blown psychosis with attempts at suicide that can necessitate hospital inpatient care. In between these two types are a range of conditions that can appear even months after childbirth and can impair a woman's ability to care for herself and her child.

The common link in all of these mood disorders is hormonal changes that affect a woman's brain chemistry. This imbalance in her neurotransmitters is common to all forms of depression but the condition can be worsened by the particular swing in hormones that comes with pregnancy. While these depressive conditions most often occur after the baby is born, they also can occur during the pregnancy, especially if the mother has a history of depression.

Environmental Factors

If it were not bad enough that a new mother has to deal with fluctuating hormones, there also are environmental factors to be considered. The stress of having to care for a newborn, the social isolation of feeling tied to the baby, and economic pressures can only make the condition worse. On top of everything else, a new mother likely will feel ashamed of herself for having negative feelings about herself or the baby during a time she is being told should be the happiest of her life.

While treatment from health care professionals might be needed to handle the hormonal component of the illness, support from the father and family can play a vital role in easing the environmental pressures. Strong emotion and physical support can go a long way to easing these pressures, and – in turn – help bring the swinging hormones back into line.

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