7 Treatments for Postpartum Depression: Getting Back to Your Full Life

During the postpartum period, physiological and mental changes occur in a woman’s body. They can be either insignificant or very noticeable, significantly worsening the mother’s condition and her quality of life. Depressive moods, constant anxiety and even psychosis in the period after the birth of a child are called postpartum depression (PPD).

In different countries, the number of women who have recently given birth with postpartum depression ranges from 10% to 20%, and in some countries it exceeds 80%.

Innovations in the treatment of postpartum depression abroad

Treatment of postpartum depression abroad occurs using unique techniques and modern pharmacological developments. This combination greatly improves the quality of therapy. Treatment in leading specialized centers allows you to quickly eliminate psycho-emotional disorders and return patients to normal life, filled with positive impressions and caring for the baby. In addition to therapy using medications and communication with a psychotherapist, milotherapy (environmental or environmental therapy) is used abroad. The essence of this technique is for patients to stay in a room with good natural lighting and a certain color scheme, with living vegetation. A special series of paintings, quiet musical accompaniment, thematic emotionally deep films are selected, excluding depressive elements.

Medicine abroad is constantly developing, most doctors are engaged not only in practical, but also in scientific work, introducing innovative methods of therapy. For example, in Israel, depression, including postpartum depression, is treated in a new way using a transcranial magnetic brain stimulation system (Brainsway TMS). Thanks to special equipment, certain areas of the brain are stimulated, helping to improve the patient’s condition. This session lasts about 30 minutes and has no side effects.

How do they cope with postpartum depression in Israel?

In Israel, depression after childbirth is most effectively treated by combining psychotherapy and neurometabolic therapy. As a result, patients’ resistance to stress increases and depressive mood disappears. Currently, this approach is widely used to treat drug addiction in Israel, alcoholism and various mental disorders.

When conducting psychotherapeutic sessions, doctors use proprietary methods with a cognitive-existential approach to providing psychological assistance. In addition, patients with postpartum depression are offered alternative treatments, such as physical therapy, including therapeutic sleep, music therapy, light therapy, hydrotherapy, special massage techniques with acupressure, acupuncture and others.

In one of the famous medical institutions in Israel - the Renaissance rehabilitation center - highly professional specialists provide the necessary assistance to women with postnatal depression, taking into account all the nuances and subtleties of this pathology.

Postpartum depression, symptoms and signs

Postpartum depression

is a type of depression that many parents (and fathers too) experience after the birth of a baby.

This is a common situation, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women in the year after giving birth. How to deal with it, and how long it can last, psychologists talk about it. They also offer treatment assistance.

It is important to seek help as soon as possible if you think you are affected as symptoms can last for months or years, get worse over time and have a significant negative impact on you, your baby and your family.

With the right mental health support, which includes self-help strategies and therapy, most women make a full recovery. The main thing is to quickly start treatment with a psychologist and get help.

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Where can you get treatment for postpartum depression in Moscow?

Treatment of postnatal depression in Moscow is carried out quite successfully, given the capital’s provision of modern public and private clinics. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor finds out the severity of the patient’s condition, the peculiarities of her well-being, and, if necessary, gives a referral for laboratory tests. The effectiveness of therapy largely depends on the doctor’s experience and knowledge.

Treatment of postpartum depression in Moscow clinics is carried out comprehensively, using medications and psychotherapy.

In Moscow, under the auspices of the Israeli Association, the Renaissance Center has been operating for several years, which not only deals with the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addiction and alcoholism, but also provides quality care to patients with various mental disorders.

Also, treatment for postnatal depression in Moscow can be done at the Brain Clinic, a premium clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy at the EMC (European Medical Center) and other specialized medical institutions.

What's new in the treatment of postpartum depression in St. Petersburg?

There are a number of clinics operating in St. Petersburg that treat various pathologies associated with mental disorders. Postpartum depression can be treated here at the specialized clinic Doctor SAN. To diagnose the disease, the doctor conducts tests that help identify psycho-emotional disorders. In the treatment of mental disorders, including postpartum depression, psychotherapeutic sessions, antidepressants, physical exercise, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, consumption of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which promote the production of serotonin (the happiness hormone), and other treatment methods are used. The clinic focuses on group psychotherapy, where everyone shares their experience of dealing with depression after childbirth. Interpersonal psychological therapy is used as a drug replacement or adjunctive treatment for postnatal depression.

In medicine, biofeedback therapy (biological feedback Neurofeedback) is used, which promotes rapid recovery from postpartum depression. The therapy is based on involving the patient in the treatment process and teaching her to manage her emotions, so that she can then independently cope with difficult situations.

Clinical manifestations of PDD

The symptoms of PDD are not fundamentally different from the classic depressive syndrome. The severity of symptoms can vary from mild to moderate to severe. Pathological mood swings (or affective disorders) often begin soon after childbirth:

• at 1 week - in 70% of women;
• at 2 weeks - in 23% of women;
• at 3 weeks - in 3.5% of women.

For the remaining 3.5% of women - at a later date. Psychiatrists studying this condition point out that it is “linked” to the season - more than 60% of cases are registered in the autumn and spring months.

"Baby Blues"

It is postnatal depression that should be separated from the deterioration of the emotional state immediately after childbirth. The so-called baby blues develops in 80% of women due to changes in hormonal levels. The pregnancy state is maintained by high concentrations of the hormone progesterone. From an emotional point of view, this can manifest itself in the form of high spirits, euphoria, and complacency. Before childbirth, progesterone production decreases. On days 3-4 after giving birth, women may feel depressed, confused, and want to cry. The state of sadness, insecurity, and lack of self-confidence can last up to 2 weeks. The characteristic differences of such a depressive reaction are its short duration, reversibility, and low severity.

A young mother in such a state also needs support and the opportunity to rest and come to her senses; a favorable course often allows her to get by with the help of her family and friends. However, any alarming changes in condition are grounds for immediate contact with a specialist.

Symptoms of postpartum depression

Clinical manifestations are represented by the classic depressive triad:

• low mood;
• slow thinking;
• motor retardation.

It often turns out that during pregnancy a woman’s physical and mental well-being is of keen interest to those around her. With the birth of a baby, everything changes, attention goes to the newborn, and the young mother’s complaints about fatigue and depression may be ignored. It is important to know how not to miss the deterioration and avoid the development of symptoms of the disease. Close women should monitor not only the dryness of the baby’s diapers, but also the well-being of the mother. You should be wary if a woman:

• complains of low mood, loss of strength;
• often cries, behaves as if something terrible is about to happen;
• worries excessively about the child’s condition and does not allow loved ones near him;
• indifferent to the child, says that he has no feelings for him;
• expresses fears that he cannot care for the baby properly;
• looks closed, fenced off from family members, reluctant to talk about her condition;
• has difficulty doing ordinary things, can stay in bed for a long time;
• drowsy or cannot fall asleep for a long time, interrupted sleep;
• talks about his guilt in front of the child and others;
• complains that he cannot cope with the baby;
• refuses food, loses weight;
• expresses thoughts about not wanting to live.

The development of PDD is said to occur when signs of the disorder persist for at least 2 weeks. Close people do not always imagine how long it lasts. If a woman has not previously suffered from episodes of depression or bipolar disorder, symptoms will persist for about 2 months. In the case of a complicated medical history, the duration of the attack will be longer, and the likelihood that the woman will cope with it on her own is low. Worried about her condition and the well-being of the child, a mother may hide alarming symptoms.

Consider the cost of treatment for postpartum depression at leading clinics

The cost of treating depression that occurs after childbirth depends on many factors, but first of all, on the severity of the disease, because it affects the duration of the course of therapy. In order to find out the exact prices for medical services in leading clinics dealing with this pathology, you need to fill out the contact form on the website, where they will study your problem, advise on all questions of interest and offer the most appropriate option.

For comparison, prices in well-known clinics in Israel, Moscow and St. Petersburg are approximately:

• The cost of treatment in Israel is from 10,800 rubles/session;
• Prices in Moscow clinics for psychotherapy services from 4000 rubles/hour;
• The cost of treatment in clinics in St. Petersburg (cognitive behavioral psychotherapy) starts from 2,200 rubles/session.

Read reviews about treatment for postpartum depression

“I want to share my experience about what to do with postpartum depression. After the birth of my child, something incomprehensible happened to me: apathy appeared, if the child began to cry, then it annoyed me, I wanted to yell at him. But my family, especially my husband, did everything possible to get me out of this state. My husband not only helped physically, but whenever possible he tried to get me out of the house: we walked in the park and attended all sorts of cultural events that were interesting to us. Gradually, the painful state went away, I realized that there is nothing more important in life than our child and our family. My advice to all women: don’t dwell on your problems, give your loved ones the opportunity to help you.”

Olga Marchenko, Moscow

“I encountered the problem of postpartum depression literally a week after returning from the hospital. The fact is that my birth was difficult, then my milk disappeared, I felt like a bad mother because my child was not breastfed. Honestly, I didn’t know how long postpartum depression lasts, but it really bothered me. My sister advised me to see a psychotherapist so as not to aggravate the situation. After several treatment sessions, my condition began to improve. I believe that I still needed the help of a specialist. In addition, I must pay tribute to my husband, he was very supportive of me all this time, paid a lot of attention to our child while I was depressed.”

Karina Oganesyan, Nikolaev

Signs and causes of depression

• You cry often, sometimes several times a day. For no reason, you may suddenly become upset and burst into tears. The reasons for tears can be the most insignificant, which you would not have even noticed before;
• No matter what you do, there are annoying thoughts in your head that: something is wrong with the baby, no one loves you, everything will end badly, the world will collapse tomorrow, and the like. Moreover, thoughts are obsessive in nature, you cannot get rid of them and think about something else. Because of this, you cannot fall asleep for a long time, which leads to lack of sleep and worsening poor health;
• Scrolling obsessive thoughts in your head, you begin to look for their cause in yourself. And, of course, you find: your appearance is not what it was before, there is no free time for your husband. And you draw conclusions: of course, who needs me so fat (unkempt, tired, sad or something else), in general, you begin to develop a feeling of inferiority;
• Responsibility for the child, which has increased significantly after childbirth, turns into a feeling of fear for him. You are constantly shaking over the baby, the slightest signs of illness in the child lead to panic. At night you jump up many times and check your baby's breathing.

All of the above exhausts a woman and makes her irritable. Internal emptiness and indifference to everything that previously gave pleasure and joy appears. A woman becomes indifferent and indifferent to her husband; it may seem to her that her love for him has passed. Moreover, all the men in the world become disgusted with her.

Apathy reaches such a degree that it manifests itself in indifference to the child, reluctance to care for him, even to the point of hostility.

Causes:

• sharp hormonal changes that occur during and during childbirth;
• psychological unpreparedness for motherhood or reluctance to do so;
• physical exhaustion of the body, fatigue, overexertion, difficult childbirth, financial or family troubles;
• hereditary, age (after 40 years) or personal predisposition to depressive conditions.

Somatic symptoms can also be added to everything else.

Somatic symptoms:

• common headaches or migraines;
• increased heart rate, dizziness;
• indigestion (decreased appetite, constipation);
• neuralgia;
• skin itching;
• insomnia, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, desire to harm yourself or the newborn;
• menstrual irregularities or disappearance of menstruation, frigidity.

Video No. 2

Psychologist Anna Galepova talks about postpartum depression, anxiety, and fears for the child: