According to media reports, on August 23, a 21-year-old mother strangled her 1.5-year-old twin brother and put it into a bag. Then she tied her twin brother to the river and committed suicide, leaving her husband alone who had tasted the taste of her father.
This is a typical extended suicide caused by postpartum depression. For a long time, there have been too many tragedies caused by postpartum depression, and cases of family destruction abound.
In fact, as long as we can master some knowledge of postpartum depression, such tragedies may not occur. So, for postpartum depression, how should we identify and prevent it?
Postpartum depression is right around us.
According to statistics, 10% ~ 15% of women will suffer from postpartum depression (that is to say, at least one of about 10 parturients will suffer from this disease), and 50% ~ 80% will suffer from postpartum depression.
The most significant difference between postpartum depression and postpartum depression is that postpartum depression has reached the diagnostic standard of disease and is a disease that must be treated. Postpartum depression is an emotion and a state that needs to be prevented from progressing.
People may say that the incidence rate should not be so high. I seldom hear of depression among my sisters.
In fact, in European and American countries, the incidence rate of postpartum depression is very high. Why haven’t we heard much about postpartum depression? In addition to regional culture and other factors, the very important reason is that many postpartum depression has not been discovered in time, and the disease brings shame and is concealed.
In China, obstetricians and gynecologists and parturients first pay attention to the physical health after delivery, ignoring the mental health to a large extent. In short, the domestic attention is not enough, resulting in fewer discoveries and [seemingly] low incidence.
On the other hand, a big problem for people with depression is the sense of shame. Even if a woman finds herself suffering from postpartum depression, it is not as easy as saying she has caught a cold. To most people, admitting that she has depression is like admitting that she is crazy.
Therefore, just because you haven’t heard of postpartum depression doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
Will postpartum depression find me?
Some epidemiological investigations and studies on postpartum depression have found that uncoordinated family relations, marriage problems during pregnancy and postpartum, major changes in life, lack of family support and thyroid dysfunction are all the triggers leading to postpartum depression.
In addition, if you have suffered from depression or have a family history of depression, it is even more necessary to prevent postpartum depression.
How to identify postpartum depression?
Generally speaking, postpartum depression has the following characteristics:
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Depression is simply a bad mood.
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Obvious lack of interest in all or most activities, especially those that have been of interest to oneself;
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Significant weight loss or gain;
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Insomnia or excessive sleep;
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Psychomotor excitement or blockage is simply laziness and weakness.
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Fatigue or fatigue;
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Everything feels meaningless or self-guilty.
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Loss of thinking or inattention is simply trance.
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Repeated thoughts of death or suicide.
If the new mother feels depressed or sad, At least 5 of the 1 ~ 9 symptoms, the duration of which exceeds 2 weeks, and the pain, child care, housework and work ability are also affected, postpartum depression can be considered, and it is recommended to go to the psychiatric department of the general hospital or the psychiatric hospital to prevent the disease from continuing to develop and even the tragedy of hurting oneself or the baby.
Among these symptoms, the most common are lack of interest, sadness, remorse, guilt and despair. As family members and friends, we must pay special attention to these manifestations. If there is a lying-in woman who confides that she doesn’t want to live and doesn’t have hope for the future, don’t be a joke and take her to the hospital quickly!
If you still can’t judge well, you may as well click here to make a < < Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Self-Rating Scale > >. The total score is 30 points. If the total score is below 9 points, the vast majority are normal. More than 13 points, can be considered for postpartum depression, it is recommended to seek medical treatment in time.
One thing that needs to be reminded is that the self-rating scale is only a very simple evaluation method and does not represent the final diagnosis result. If the score is very high, it is recommended to consult a psychiatrist for careful identification and diagnosis. Postpartum depression is not terrible, what is terrible is the delay in treatment due to shame.
Does medication affect breast feeding?
For postpartum depression, early diagnosis and treatment are needed.
Generally speaking, the treatment of postpartum depression is mainly drug therapy.
Many new mothers will worry that taking medicine during lactation will affect their children. However, lactation and antidepressant therapy are not mutually exclusive. The new generation of antidepressants have very low concentrations in infants, some even below the lower test limit. For nursing mothers suffering from postpartum depression, please tell their own situation to psychiatrists, who will choose safe drugs according to the principle of individualization.
In addition, it is also necessary to cooperate with psychological treatment, correct unreasonable ideas or coordinate family relations. Some mild to moderate depression may not even choose drug therapy.
However, in view of the identification and treatment of postpartum depression in our country, many people do not realize that they have fallen ill when depression is mild to moderate, let alone treatment. Many of them have developed to the point of very serious suicide and self-injury before being sent to the hospital for treatment. At this time, patients need to be admitted to hospital to guard against the occurrence of tragedy.
There is also the most important point, don’t think the symptoms have eased, stop taking drugs without authorization! Unless the doctor agrees to stop the drug after evaluation. Don’t stop the drug without authorization because the drug is not effective. You know, antidepressants usually take more than 2 weeks to take effect.
How to prevent postpartum depression?
Due to the high incidence of postpartum depression, prevention becomes the key. Here are some practical suggestions:
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Participate in the self-help group for pregnant and lying-in women, so that everyone can communicate and support each other and help each other solve problems. If there are many factors such as time and region, you can choose online self-help groups, such as QQ group and WeChat group.
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Attending school training for pregnant women helps solve some problems during pregnancy and after childbirth. New mothers can take care of their babies with more ease and adapt to changes in social roles.
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Attention should be paid to adjusting emotions and pressures and not excessive fatigue.
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Learn the knowledge of postpartum depression, make early diagnosis and treatment, and stifle the disease in the cradle.
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Proper exercise can prevent postpartum depression, such as running and yoga.
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For parturients with a history of depression and family history, it is more necessary to pay attention to the risk of depression at all times. It is suggested to keep in touch with psychiatrists and follow up regularly.
As relatives, on the one hand, we should strive to create a good and harmonious family environment, listen patiently and communicate actively. On the other hand, more should master the knowledge of identifying postpartum depression. If the parturient suffers from postpartum depression, he may not realize it, which requires relatives or friends to grow snacks. After finding signs, he should go to the hospital with the parturient and supervise the treatment.
Responsible Editor: Fu Ting
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