Unfortunately, it is quite likely that you’ve heard more than once about postpartum depression, even if you haven’t had children. But what about prenatal depression, perinatal or peripartum depression? Are they the same thing?
Keep reading to find out about the meaning of this terminology related to perinatal depression.
What is Perinatal depression?
Peri means ‘around’ and natal means ‘birth’. Perinatal, therefore, refers to the time ‘around birth’, which includes the experiences of pregnant and postpartum women.
Perinatal depression is a mental illness that affects women at any time during their pregnancy until a year after the baby’s birth.
The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) defines perinatal depression as a major depressive disorder with peri-partum onset.
What’s the difference between perinatal and postpartum depression?
Are perinatal and postpartum depression the same thing?
Yes and no. Perinatal depression is characterized as happening at any time from conception until the baby’s first birthday; postpartum depression happens after the baby is born. Postpartum depression is a type of perinatal depression; perinatal depression can happen at any time and doesn’t have to occur during the postpartum period.
What is the cause of Perinatal depression?
Research shows that the incidence of perinatal depression is significantly higher in low and middle-income countries. There’s very little data on low-income countries and this highlights the need for thorough epidemiological research in those areas. Women’s mental health should be a priority in all countries or, at least, in those with an independent mental health services administration.
Other causes of perinatal depression are:
- Family history. If peripartum depression or any major depression has happened to family members, you’re at a higher risk of developing severe depression
- Self history. Of course, if your mental health has suffered from depression in the past, the risk of you suffering from it again increases
- Previous birth trauma. Your personal or family history is important when we are talking about any mood disorder. If you have suffered from any kind of birth trauma in a previous pregnancy, simply thinking about the possibility of something similar happening again can trigger severe mood swings that might lead to some form of perinatal depression Read more in BellyBelly’s article Trauma Of Giving Birth | When No One Listens
- Research shows that folate deficiency might lead to perinatal depression, poor birth outcomes and birth defects
- Upsetting personal circumstances around the child’s birth. If you’re going through financial difficulties or are experiencing any stressful life events, it’s much more likely for you to develop perinatal depression or other mood disorders
- Other mental disorders. If you have suffered from previous mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, anxiety or previous postpartum psychosis, you are at a higher risk of developing depression, whether it is pre or postnatal depression
- Lack of support. If you are struggling with pregnancy or with a newborn and you feel you have no real physical or emotional support, you might struggle to cope with the present circumstances. A mental health professional can help you treat perinatal depression with interpersonal therapy and support groups.
Although we can never tell whether or not an individual woman is likely suffer from depression, healthcare providers might be able to prevent perinatal depression by doing thorough data collection and identifying risk factors.
What are the symptoms of Perinatal depression?
Prenatal and postnatal depression have many symptoms in common:
- No joy about the pregnancy, birth or the baby’s arrival. The birth of a baby should be a joyous time. Although many women are a little anxious about giving birth, a baby’s arrival shouldn’t be a cause for mental health problems. When a woman feels extreme sadness about her baby, it’s time to find help from a health care provider and perhaps to start looking for some answers. A depression screening questionnaire can be a good starting point for getting women diagnosed
- Extreme worry about the capacity to mother a baby. Although it’s difficult to admit, most women with depressive disorders during childbirth will manifest their incapacity to care for the little one. Perinatal depression can be extremely invalidating. When a woman shows constant worry about her capacity to mother her baby, when she’s used to coping with everything life throws at her, it’s a sign she’s mentally struggling. A health care provider should be able to diagnose and treat depression as soon as possible
- Trouble sleeping. One of the most common symptoms that might suggest a woman is suffering perinatal depression is difficulty in sleeping. This might not be one of the most easily identified symptoms, as pregnancy-related insomnia is a common symptom during pregnancy
- Read more about this in our article Pregnancy Insomnia – 17 Tips For Better Sleep
- Mood swings. When a person is experiencing depression, mood swings are very common. A sudden change from joy to extreme sadness, without an apparent reason, can be a common sign of depression
- Blaming herself when things go wrong. Things tend to go their own way and, most of the time, it’s our capacity to adapt to changes that determines our mental status. Things happen whether we intend them to happen or not. Blaming ourselves when things don’t go the way we expect is very harmful behavior as it just covers us with guilt while adding nothing to the solution process. This is a very common symptom of depression.
- No bonding with the baby. Whether we’re talking about a baby bump or a baby who has already been born, one of the characteristic symptoms of perinatal depression is the lack of bonding with the baby.Be wary of a woman who speaks negatively about her baby, blames the little one for every misfortune or calls the baby names. It might even be perceived by family members as a good sign, especially if it’s done in a humorous way, and it might give the family a false feeling of bonding with her, or an opportunity to laugh. This behavior, however, is a characteristic symptom of peripartum depression and it might have a deep negative effect on the baby’s development. A baby thrives when the mom is there and when she nurtures and comforts the baby and meets the baby’s needs. A baby expects oxytocin, the love hormone, and when negative stress hormones show up, survival mode is activated. The baby’s development will carry on but in an atmosphere contaminated by fear instead of suffused with love. Read more about how to move from fear to love in Natural Oxytocin | Benefits Of The Hormone.
If reading this is leading you to feel more certain about your suspicions that a loved one is suffering from depression, go further. Talk to her, get in contact with your health care provider and start looking for help immediately.
She might be reluctant at first but don’t let that convince you she doesn’t need help. Most people who suffer from a mental disorder won’t be able to recognise it and will deny its existence.
Perinatal depression – treatment
Becoming a mother is a beautiful time of joy and happiness and it establishes the basis of a loving, life-lasting mother-child relationship; therefore, getting proper treatment is very important.
Untreated depression can lead to more severe disorders, such as baby postpartum psychosis.
Talk therapy and family therapy are really important for those who suffer from depression, because guilt and self-blame are common symptoms that accompany a depressive disorder. Being able to have a guided conversation about our feelings, with a professional, is key to a rapid recovery.
Psilocybin, the psychedelic substance present in magic mushrooms, is being used in depressive disorders and substance abuse problems, with very promising results.
There’s a lot of recent research highlighting the medicinal properties of psilocybin and its use to treat depression effectively.
If you take a more Western medical approach, this is considered a medical emergency and psychiatric medications might be suggested. Your health care provider will be able to point you in the right direction.
Find out more in these BellyBelly articles:
Perinatal Depression Test: Prenatal Diagnosis And Screening
