9 Differences between postpartum depression and postpartum blues

  • Nov 10, 2021
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Differences between postpartum depression and postpartum blues

Surely you have heard about postpartum depression or postpartum sadness (also called baby blues or postpartum blues) that many women suffer after giving birth, or maybe you are one of those women who has suffered, but do you know what this really is about postpartum depression or sadness? postpartum? Do all women suffer from it after bringing children into this world? Is it something very common or is it rather difficult for us to find it today?

If you want to know what they are their causes, the symptoms that differentiate them, the treatment, when they can appear, how long they last, or if you are pregnant and want to know if you are at risk of suffering postpartum depression or postpartum blues, keep reading this Psychology-Online article, where we will help you to differentiate them and where we will also talk about another less common postpartum disorder: postpartum psychosis, developed by 0.1-0.2% of women after giving birth.

You may also like: Postpartum depression in men: symptoms and treatment

Index

  1. Prevalence
  2. Moment of appearance
  3. Causes of postpartum depression and baby blues
  4. Symptoms of postpartum depression and baby blues
  5. Effects on the newborn
  6. Risk groups
  7. The DSM-V criteria
  8. Duration
  9. Treatment
  10. Postpartum psychosis

Prevalence

The first of the differences between postpartum depression and postpartum blues is prevalence.

  • The Postpartum depression affects between a 10-20% Women's.
  • While the baby blues or postpartum sadness affects a higher percentage of women: between a 50-70%.

Moment of appearance.

Another difference between postpartum depression and postpartum sadness has to do with when the symptoms begin.

  • In postpartum depression, symptoms occur During pregnancy (50% of the episodes appear before delivery) or in the 4 weeks after delivery.
  • However, postpartum blues appear between the second and third day after delivery.
Differences Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues - Moment of Onset

Causes of postpartum depression and postpartum blues.

Postpartum depression has not currently been linked to any specific endocrine disruption. While it is true that a greater increase has been seen in women suffering from postpartum thyroiditis, their relationship has not been concluded. Therefore, we affirm that endocrine factors do not have a causal effect, although they can intervene in raising awareness of some aspects.

Postpartum blues or postpartum blues, on the other hand, if you have been directly involved with hormones, especially associated with large changes in progesterone. One of the theories that explain this fact says that during pregnancy there is a habituation to the modulation of GABA receptors by the metabolism of progesterone, which causes a withdrawal syndrome effect at the moment in which the levels of this hormone fall with the Birth.

Symptoms of postpartum depression and postpartum blues.

Another difference between postpartum depression and postpartum sadness is the symptoms of both conditions:

Postpartum depression

Postpartum depression manifests the typical symptoms of a major depressive disorder How is it:

  • Sadness
  • Dejection
  • Grief
  • Unhappiness
  • Irritability
  • Empty
  • Nervousness
  • Apathy
  • General state of inhibition
  • Lack of motivation
  • Negative thoughts (hopelessness, lack of control, not being able to make sense of what one does)
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Impaired memory and attention
  • Circular and ruminant thinking
  • Self-blame
  • Loss of self esteem
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Decreased sexual activity and desire
  • Deterioration of social relationships

Postpartum sadness

The baby blues is characterized by the presence of symptoms of sadness, the urge to cry and emotional lability.

Effects on the newborn.

Another difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues is the consequences. Mothers who suffer from postpartum depression they show a different cure for the neonate in relation to that offered by the father. In these children there has been an increase in the incidence of suffering any type of mood alteration (not due to genetics, but environmental, since most of inputs it receives are negative and this affects the correct construction of the CNS -central nervous system- which is formed in the first weeks of life) and, it is also observed a increased vulnerability of the baby in his future life. On the other hand, the postpartum sadness does not seem to have an impact on her development.

Differences Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues - Effects on Newborn

Risk groups.

In postpartum depression we observe certain risk groups:

  • Women with a history of previous major depression
  • Women with Bipolar disorder
  • Women with a previous episode of postpartum depression
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Be less than 20 years old
  • Having family members with a history of depression and / or anxiety
  • People who have manifested depressive symptoms during pregnancy
  • Domestic violence and / or marital problems
  • Lack of family and / or social support

Secondly, baby blues is a risk factor and predictor for the onset of postpartum depression, without being decisive.

The DSM-V criteria.

In the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Ed.5) we find postpartum depression as a major depressive disorder subtype, and in DSM-IV as a nonspecific disorder with peripartum onset, indicating that the disorder occurs during pregnancy. In this article, we talk about 15 types of depression.

In order to diagnose it, therefore, the criteria for major depression must be met, which are the following:

  1. Depressive quality of mood (with loss of interest or pleasure)
  2. For a minimum course of two weeks
  3. Accompanied by any of the following symptoms: depressed mood, anhedonia, impaired appetite and weight, fatigue, psychomotor slowdown, agitation, low self-esteem or guilt, altered concentration, death wish, ideas suicidal
  4. That these symptoms trigger discomfort or disability
  5. That does not contravene exclusion criteria

This manual considers risk groups women with a history of bipolar or depressive disorder, women with depression, or depressive episodes prior to postpartum depression.

Instead, postpartum blues are not considered a pathological disorder.

Duration.

Another difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues is the duration of both conditions:

  • To be able to speak of postpartum depression the symptoms must be persistent most of the time and most of the days during a minimum of two weeks.
  • Since postpartum blues is not considered a disorder in DSM-V, the duration of symptoms should be less than two weeks, and if it persists, we would go on to talk about postpartum depression.
Differences Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues - Duration

Treatment.

The therapeutic approach should be started indicating the interruption of alcohol and tobacco consumption, increase rest, advocate for relaxation techniques and physical exercise.

  • For postpartum depression it is recommended to start psychological treatment personalized according to the specific symptoms and idiosyncratic characteristics of the person; and psychopharmacological treatment, in case of no response in psychotherapy, with antidepressants. Here we explain the Types of antidepressants and what they are for.
  • While for postpartum sadness, psychopharmacological treatment would not be necessary. It would be helpful to provide a psychological treatment personalized according to the specific symptoms and idiosyncratic characteristics of the person.

In this article, you will find more information about How to overcome postpartum depression.

Postpartum psychosis.

It is also important to differentiate postpartum depression and postpartum blues from postpartum psychosis. This is the most serious postpartum disorder, although fortunately it occurs in a small percentage.

Postpartum psychosis is characterized by a loss of contact with reality, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and violent behavior that characterize the disorder as a psychiatric emergency situation. In DSM-V we identify it as a brief psychotic disorder. It has an incidence of 2-3 / 1000 and is more common in primiparous women.

It may present the following clinical symptoms: hallucinations, illusions, incoherent thoughts, insomnia, delirium, mania, suicide (5%), infanticide (4%).

Risk groups are those with a personal and / or family history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, obstetric complications.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between postpartum depression and postpartum blues, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

Bibliography

  • American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM - 5. Madrid Spain. Editorial medica panamericana.
  • Carlson, N. R. (2014). Behavioral physiology. Madrid. Pearson Education, S.A.
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