Treatment of postnatal depression
PND is serious and distressing but it IS TREATABLE. It is treated in similar ways to ordinary depression depending on the severity of the individuals illness and Symptoms.If left untreated the severity is likely to increase and the illness will last longer. This in turn is more likely to have an effect between the mother and her baby.
If you are depressed you will undoubtedly need help and you may require lots of encouragement to seek the help. However, there should be plenty of support available to you once you have sought the help.
A lot of sufferers find that just TALKING can be helpful. This may be to partners, family members, friends, midwife, Health Visitor, GP, Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN), psychiatrist, psychotherapist or counselor. They can also offer you help and support.
Treatments that involve talking that your GP may refer you for are:
- counselling- there may be a free service available to you or you may have to pay privately. Counselling is a one to one session of talking where the counselor will help you to work out your problems through you talking about them confidentially.
- psychiatrist - a medically qualified Dr who specializes just in the treatment of mental illnesses.
- psychologist - a person who is trained in the science of the mind and the study of behavior.
However, sometimes talking is simply not enough and Antidepressants are required. It must be remembered that there are three different types of antidepressants each having different reactions on chemicals in the brain. Therefore it may be necessary that the GP has to find that one best suited to you. They do take time to work usually around 10 to 14 days or as long as 6 to 8 weeks to feel the real benefit.
It is important to tell the GP if you are breastfeeding as this will influence the antidepressant prescribed. Some antidepressants do pass into read more
