Any mother knows that becoming a mother is extremely challenging, especially in the beginning. However, our society idealizes motherhood as nothing short of total and effortless happiness. There are countless misconceptions, assumptions and attitudes that are quite detrimental to our mothers. "Good mothers" are those who can handle every detail in an organized and impeccable way. They maintain a perfectly clean and tidy home and support the interests and needs of all their children and place themselves on the list of priorities. Your identity, interests, social life, etc. They don't matter anymore because now she's a mother. And for that she is absolutely cheerful! Their marriage is ten times stronger since the baby arrived. These hot and diffuse moments occur, but not every minute of every day. This romantic image of motherhood is detrimental as countless mothers are compared to this impossible and unrealistic ideal and chronically feel that they are not good enough. Many people know very well the feelings of inadequacy and guilt.
Women all over the world are struggling with the transition from motherhood, and because of the above message, we feel ashamed and alone. With work experience working with new mothers as life and transition coach and as a licensed psychotherapist, I have witnessed countless women who have shared their feelings with family, friends, doctors and tell them (usually with good intentions) that they could have birth depression (PPD). This accelerated labeling can also be harmful as many women feel incredibly embarrassed, judged and inadequate. This article is intended to clarify the differences in the struggle with the transition to new motherhood and the real PPD, and provides some background on the different approaches and views that a psychotherapist may have compared to a life coach.
Postpartum depression (the real diagnosis is a major depressive episode with postpartum onset) is a serious condition that needs to be addressed by a trained mental health professional. The prevalence of PPD can be debated as the statistics vary widely. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2000), postpartum depression is not recognized as a diagnosis other than the major depressive episode (depression), but a trained professional will specify that a major depressive episode is, "with postpartum onset" only if the onset of symptoms occurs within four weeks of birth. For this reason, the criteria for PPD and "depression" are the same. PPD is a period of at least two weeks where there is a depressed mood or loss of interest or joy in almost all activities ("I don't care anymore"). In addition, at least four other symptoms should be present that include changes in appetite and / or weight, changes in sleep (insomnia or sleeping too much, not changes that will occur naturally with your baby's schedule), decreased energy, feelings of worthlessness, or guilt, difficulty concentrating and thinking or making decisions, changes in psychomotor activity (others may notice that you are moving slower or faster than usual), or recurring thoughts of death or suicide. These symptoms should persist most of the day, almost every day, for at least two consecutive weeks. In addition, they must cause distress or significant obstacles in their ability to function. The degree of disability varies from mild to severe, and careful conversation is required to make this diagnosis. In severe cases, a person may lose the ability to perform minimal personal care or personal hygiene tasks or may even experience delusions or hallucinations.
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