Pregnancy and childbirth are significant events in a woman's life. Postpartum depression is a recognized mental disorder that affects at least one in ten women during the four weeks following childbirth. A woman may feel sad without a clear reason, cry, and experience disrupted sleep and eating. Her psychological state may be worse in the morning but improve in the evening. She may experience a lack of enjoyment and no desire to do anything. This may be accompanied by irritability, guilt, and feeling unable to take responsibility for the newborn. She may be intensely afraid for the baby, and sometimes she may reject the baby and tell her family, “I do not want the baby.” She may appear confused, unable to concentrate, and forgetful. Pessimism may overwhelm her, and she may think about death and suicide. She may even kill her child out of mercy, believing she is sparing the child from the suffering of this world, before taking her own life.

The severity of the illness ranges from mild to moderate to severe. This depression does not have a single cause; several hereditary, life-related, and biological factors combine to cause the disorder. Together, these lead to a chemical imbalance in the brain's mood centers.


What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?

  1. A persistent feeling of sadness.
  2. Reduced motivation to do anything.
  3. A diminished sense of pleasure and enjoyment.
  4. Feeling tired and unable to complete tasks.
  5. Low self-confidence and self-esteem.
  6. Irregular and interrupted sleep.
  7. An irregular appetite.


How to overcome postpartum depression

  1. Encourage the woman to talk openly about everything she feels, particularly her feelings toward her child.
  2. The woman should set aside time for herself so that she can relax as much as possible.
  3. Connect with other mothers and listen to their experiences of motherhood.
  4. Avoid foods containing high levels of caffeine, and refrain from alcohol and similar substances because they are a major cause of mood swings.
  5. It is essential to seek counseling and psychological support if the previous steps are ineffective and the woman cannot move past the negative feelings accompanying childbirth.


The husband's role in postpartum depression

A husband's role can be decisive in whether postpartum depression develops or disappears. This requires him to have a clear understanding of his role in addressing postpartum depression in the following ways:

  1. Have a clear understanding and sufficient knowledge of the symptoms she is experiencing because of postpartum depression. Researching the condition will help you learn how to support your wife.
  2. Create good, effective communication with your wife by listening to everything she feels and needs. Show empathy for everything she says.
  3. Help her manage everything related to motherhood, such as accompanying her to appointments with the gynecologist and taking responsibility for certain tasks involving the child. This can make her feel safe and show her that you are by her side.
  4. Attend counseling and psychotherapy sessions not only for your wife but also for yourself. At this stage, you are a caregiver for your wife and child, and you face considerable pressure that requires you to attend these sessions.


When does postpartum depression end?

Unfortunately, women often reach treatment late because they do not recognize the condition or because the family looks for explanations, such as exhaustion from breastfeeding or marital problems. When they do consider treatment, they often turn to charlatans.

The reality is that postpartum depression is a mental disorder that responds quickly to treatment. Treatment usually consists of antidepressant medication and either supportive psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, depending on the case.

It must be emphasized that some cases may end without treatment, while others urgently require immediate treatment. I have seen many women who suffered from depression for many years. They may become pregnant repeatedly while the depression grows worse. A woman may be advised to become pregnant so that the depression will end, but this is wrong: pregnancy does not solve the problem, and the depression may worsen during pregnancy. The likelihood of depression recurring after future births is greater than 20%. This does not prevent pregnancy and childbirth, and precautions can be taken in the future to prevent the depression from recurring.

Depression must also be distinguished from puerperal psychosis, which is less common and affects one in every thousand women who give birth. It involves auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions of persecution and surveillance, and sometimes delusions of grandeur. It may require rapid emergency intervention and hospital admission. Half of women also feel distressed and cry during the first few days after childbirth; this ends within a few days and does not require any treatment.


Download the Tatmeen app for online psychological and family counseling from the App Store or Google Play. You can also register on the Tatmeen mental health website to access valuable information and practical tools for strengthening your mental and family well-being.