Postpartum depression is a clinical depression that affects both females and males after giving birth. It is accompanied by a wide range of symptoms including low energy levels, a change in sleeping and eating patterns reduced the desire for sex crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability among others. Postpartum depression is normally pronounced when the symptoms last for over a fortnight. Some risk factors have been implicated to cause this disorder, but none of them has been proven. The major factor thought to cause postpartum depression is hormonal changes. These changes cause the many symptoms associated with the depression such as sleep deprivation, anxiety about offering parenthood and care to the newly born child. This paper basically will try to explore the dynamics of postpartum depression, the percentage estimate of nature versus nurture as far as the causation of the depression is concerned and finally the implications or applications for the individuals concerned with the developmental issues.
Comparison of Nature versus Nurture
Postpartum depression is a combination of both nature and nurture as opposed to the traditional beliefs that it solely a result of chemical imbalance in the body. It raises the question as to why some women get the depression while others seem immune to the same condition. Both genetic and environmental factors come into play as stated by O’Hara and McCabe (2013). When considering nature as a cause, it is thought that the genetic make-up of an individual determines their susceptibility in acquiring this disorder. Therefore, the postpartum depression syndrome will be passed from person to person in the family line. Studies have proved that children born from parents experiencing depression are most likely to experience a wide array of psychiatric disturbances, major forms of depression, drug and substance abuse and also anxiety disorders. On the other hand, nurture or the environmental link, include a person's experiences, especially the childhood experiences can play a role in defining if a person will be prone to depression or not. Nurture tries to explain that a person's general personality will influence their likelihood of acquiring this condition. People who are easy going, happy or those who get along well with their peers are less likely to get depressed. On the other hand, the lesser happy, those who find it difficult to trust and get along with others are more susceptible to acquiring this trait.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The Role of Nature
Just like other traits such as alcoholism, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer, depression is a genetically acquired trait. Genes have been implicated in the predisposing woman to postpartum depression. Several studies have been done to investigate if susceptibility could be explained by specific gene variations. However, this association remains unclear and can only be helped by thorough research. This type of depression affects roughly 1 in every 500 new mothers. Two main genes have been associated with depression especially in women. These genes are TTC9B and HP1BP3. They are thought to work by creating new cells in the hippocampus region of the brain leading up to reorganization in the face of the new environment. These genes have also been associated with affecting estrogen. The genes said to have an effect of estrogen inhibition. One of the major functions of estrogen is its ability to act as an antidepressant. Once it is inhibited, the person affects mood changes, one of the hallmarks of postpartum depression.
The Role of Nurture
The majority of women suffering from postpartum depression owe it to the environment. Almost 90% of all the cases are a result of factors that surround the human nature. Some lifestyle and environmental factors have been implicated in causing this disorder. After birth, the women feel sleep derived, and a sense of overwhelming comes about. This, coupled with the uncertainty about parenting causes them to be unable to carry even the simplest of duties. This becomes a precursor for guilt and regret at failing to do the things feasible for them to do. This will led to forming the etiology of all the depression that follows. Giving birth makes women feel less attractive, anxious and above all, they feel as if they have lost their original identity. Women who struggle with breast feeding have their sense of being a mother lowered.
Other Reasons
When women get pregnant, they experience countless changes in their bodies at a very fast rate. The changes they experience range from blood pressure to hormonal changes and also physical alterations follow. The brain is not left behind as chemicals inside begin changing to levels that may be deemed imbalance. This may lead to depression. Other reasons include the personal history of mental illness, unwanted cases of pregnancy, complicated delivery, and financial difficulties after birth, history of drug and substance abuse, history of miscarriages, relationship problems among much more.
Treatment
Within the first three months after birth, sometimes the depression goes away on its own. About 90% of people with the depression can be treated successfully using the required medication and a special type of therapy known as psychotherapy. Hospitalization may be necessary in cases of severe postpartum depression. If hallucinations and delusions are involved in the depression, electroconvulsive therapy may be used. Treatment should be sought on the earliest onset of the symptoms. If the condition is detected late, the condition may worsen. Research has it that children can also be affected by the untreated PPD. The children can be susceptible to sleep disturbances, poor cognitive development, insecurity and sporadic temper tantrums.
Steps followed in the treatment include resolving immediate problems such as sleep and lack of appetite. Antidepressants are used to solve this. Support group is also very important in providing vital information that can solve ease the depression.
Prevention
Once somebody experiences postpartum depressions, they are very likely to develop it again in their subsequent deliveries. To prevent the development of the depression or a recurrent of it, first you have to stay in touch with your doctor, therapist or psychiatrist to provide you with the necessary guidelines on how to deal with the depression. Taking medication prescribed by the doctors is another key element in preventing the occurrence of the depression. It may also serve to reduce the severity of the depression if it occurs. According to Suri et al . (2017), it is also very important to share thoughts with the loved ones such as partners and family members who will help to ease the tension involved with the depression. It is crucial to establish a support plan. Those people who will be there for you once you deliver your baby. It is also very vital to take precautions against fatigue and stress. One should be keen to avoid stressors in life, rest for an enough amount of time. Finally, self-confidence is very essential. One of the biggest sources of postpartum depression is the diminishing confidence in oneself.
Enrichment
The process of recovery from postpartum depression is a process. Unlike other medical conditions, treatment involves mentality and adaptation. Patience is therefore of the essence, and self-acceptance should be the motivational factor. The environment as stated earlier plays an important role in shaping one’s image of themselves, and therefore women should always try to be with the safest people to help them in their recovery process.
Implications Concerned With Developmental Issues
Postpartum depression does not have severe effects on the mother alone but to the development of the baby. The father is also likely to suffer the effects of this depression since it affects the association between the two. However, the effects to the child as far as their development is concerned cannot be ignored. First, the mother to child bond is seriously affected. Due to the depression, the mother develops some inability to take care of the baby in some way. The mother will be sending messages directly to the baby that she is uncomfortable, anxious and self-doubting. The baby develops some sense of fear in retaliation in its own way. Without this kind of bond, the baby’s development is jeopardized.
The baby's physical development is also affected. When the mother is depressed, she cannot play with her baby. The baby cannot be taught how to for example sit or stand. Coordination and muscle development will thus be affected. The babies confidence will go down, and this may risk rendering the baby anti-social as asserted by Wisner et al. (2013).
Depression on the mother can also be risky because she may not have the time to expose her child to the outside world. The child may not have the chance to be part of social events, may not have the chance to make friends and thus carry the whole character into their lives.
Depression generally has a risk on the entire family as it brings some gloom and sense of hopelessness in a family. The family, therefore, spends so much energy and time trying to solve the issue hence finding themselves alienated from other activities of equal magnitude. It creates fear among the couples, especially when they plan on having another baby. This may force the couples to restrict themselves to small families for fear of unknown. It is also worthy to understand that the gloom and unhappiness characterized by depression has a negative effect on the development of the family as far as association with other people is concerned.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that postpartum depression is a problem for both sexes, but it main custodian is the woman after birth. It has two broad causes, one being the nurture, which accounts for about 10% and the nature accounting for the remaining majority. Basically, the genes found inside us, accompanied by the hormonal changes have been associated with depression as far as nature is concerned. The environment we live in is also a major source of the depression. This includes the inability to accept who we really are after birth, and the toxic relationship with other that after that comes in. Postpartum depression has devastating effects on the development of the child and the development of the family at large. However, it is not a matter of life and death because there a wide array of specialist including doctors and therapists who can handle it. Treatment is, however, a gradual thing, and cases of reoccurrence are also very possible. It is clearly that depression is a life menace that is almost difficult to evade due to its natural occurrence, but we are only obliged to stay strong, focused and always have the determination to overcome it.
References
O'hara, M. W., & McCabe, J. E. (2013). Postpartum depression: current status and future directions. Annual review of clinical psychology , 9 , 379-407.
Suri, R., Stowe, Z. N., Cohen, L. S., Newport, D. J., Burt, V. K., Aquino-Elias, A. R., ... & Altshuler, L. L. (2017). Prospective Longitudinal Study of Predictors of Postpartum-Onset Depression in Women With a History of Major Depressive Disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry .
Wisner, K. L., Sit, D. K., McShea, M. C., Rizzo, D. M., Zoretich, R. A., Hughes, C. L., ... & Confer, A. L. (2013). Onset timing, thoughts of self-harm, and diagnoses in postpartum women with screen-positive depression findings. JAMA Psychiatry , 70 (5), 490-498.
