The Atlanta Center for Medical Research is currently seeking healthy adult volunteers to participate in a clinical study on postpartum depression.
According to Mayo Clinic, many new moms experience the “postpartum baby blues” after childbirth, which begin within the first two to three days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks. However, some moms experience a more severe, long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is not a character flaw or a weakness – if you have been experiencing symptoms of this condition it is important to seek treatment.
Symptoms of postpartum depression may include:
- Excessive crying
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual
- Insomnia or sleeping too much
- Overwhelming fatigue
- Intense irritability and anger
- Fear that you’re not a good mother
- Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy
- Severe anxiety and panic attacks
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Postpartum Progress states that more than 800,000 women a year get postpartum depression and affects 15 percent of new moms, or one in seven. There are helpful resources and information along with new research treatments underway, but there is not an official prescribed treatment for postpartum depression. Ongoing research is encouraged to look for ways to better understand, diagnose, and treat the condition.
www.postpartumprogress.com/the-symptoms-of-postpartum-depression-anxiety-in-plain-mama-english
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/basics/symptoms/con-20029130