Understanding post natal depression

Postnatal Depression (PND) is still an illness that is not widely understood by mums who experience it, or by their family and friends, yet a number of recent surveys have shown that around one in three mothers will suffer. Nevertheless, it is often viewed with shame and guilt by the sufferer,almost as if having postnatal depression makes you a "bad mother".

Do you feel that something just isn't right...that you just don't feel yourself? Could post-natal depression be a possibility?

If you are suffering from 2 or 3 of the following you may have post-natal depression

Constantly feeling tired.
No energy
Sleeping problems - can't get to sleep or waking in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep
Crying a lot, often over the smallest things or for no reason at all
Can't eat or over-eating
Feeling emotionally disconnected from or even rejected by the baby or
Overly anxious and over protective of the baby
Lack of motivation to get up and do anything
A constant underlying sense of anxiety maybe escalating into panic attacks
Easily "set off" and difficult to calm down
Difficulty concentrating, say on a book or film or even on a conversation
Putting on a front
Feeling like you are playing out a role rather than just living the moment
Strange, frightening thoughts or visions popping into your head about harming yourself or the baby or awful things happening
Feeling lonely and isolated
Perhaps feeling rejected by friends, family, even your partner and your baby or children
Sense of feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope
No interest in sex
Feeling guilty about everything - especially about being a such bad mother
Physical aches and pains, such as headaches, stomach pains or blurred vision and worrying that it is something terminal or serious.

What causes PND?

We don't know enough to be sure who will or won't get it. There is probably no single reason, but a number of different stresses may add up to cause it. You are more likely to have PND if you:

have had depression (especially PND) before
do not have a supportive partner
have a premature or sick baby
lost your own mother when you were a child
have had several recent life stresses - bereavement, unemployment, housing or money problems

Even so, PND can start for no obvious reason, without any of these stresses, and having these problems does not mean that you will definitely have PND.

FINALLY, even if you have been depressed for a while, support, counselling and medication can all help you to get better. It's never too late.