How do doctors screen for postpartum depression? What are the symptoms of postpartum depression? Should you screen for postpartum depression? Is postpartum depression a distinct diagnosis?
Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Difficulty bonding with your baby. Withdrawing from family and friends. Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual. Inability to sleep (insomnia) or sleeping too much.
Fear that you’re not a good mother. Overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy.
Women who develop PPD have feelings of intense sadness, worry and exhaustion following childbirth. As you know, many moms don’t recognize postpartum depression symptoms until much later in the first year. Persistent depressive disorder (also called dysthymia) is a depressed mood that lasts for at least two years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for two years to be considered persistent depressive disorder.