Postpartum Depression Essay

After reading the “Yellow Wallpaper” this year my curiosity was fixed on a common yet highly misunderstood disorder known as Postpartum Depression. Extremely common in the United Stated, postpartum depression is single handedly the most common disorder that many women tend to have in their life and can often lead to suicide. Throughout this paper we will explore the causes, the symptoms, and the recovery of the deadly disorder known as Postpartum depression.
“At first I thought what I was feeling was just exhaustion, but with it came an overriding sense of panic that I had never felt before. Rowan kept crying, and I began to dread the moment when Chris would bring her back to me. I started to experience a sick sensation in my stomach; it was as if a vise were tightening around my chest. Instead of the nervous anxiety that often accompanies panic, a feeling of devastation overcame me. I hardly moved. Sitting on my bed, I let out a deep, slow, guttural wail. I wasn’t simply emotional or weepy, like I had been told I might be. This was something quite different. In the past, if I got depressed or if I felt sad or down, I knew I could counteract it with exercise, a good night’s sleep, or a nice dinner with a friend. If PMS made me introspective or melancholy, or if the pressures of life made me gloomy, I knew these feelings wouldn’t last forever. But this was sadness of a shockingly different magnitude. It felt as if it would never go away ( "Brooke's Story." Brooke's Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014). That is an excert from the testimony of Brooke Shields the Actress and survivor of Postpartum Depression.
When a woman gives birth to a child, it can be one of the most joyous and exciting moments in her life, yet it can also be diff...

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...roviders. It is the responsibility of all providers of care for pregnant women to take the initiative to implement a process for early screening and education of postpartum mood disorders. With the use of the integrated HBM and the SNSS model the goal of early detection and treatment of postpartum mood disorders can be accomplished through a concerted effort by all stakeholders who include individuals, families, communities, and health care providers. Having experienced some of the most horrific outcomes of untreated postpartum mood disorders, Texas needs to be proactive in requiring early screening and education by Postpartum Depression healthcare providers. In addition Texas needs to fund and make available community resources accessible to all individuals. By doing this, Texas can become one of the pioneers in identifying and treating postpartum mood disorders.