Postpartum Depression Health, Medicine, Nursing Article Critique

Postpartum Depression
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Postpartum Depression
Many women after child birth are often faced with a myriad of challenges including postpartum depression. The complexity of child birth usually results in mood and psychiatric disorders. According to Sword and others in the article “postpartum depression is any depressive disorder without psychotic features present within the first 12 months after child birth” (Sword et al., 2008). It is characterized by the new mother having a negative attitude towards the infant, partner, close family and friends. They become secluded and withdrawn to matters that appealed to them previously and therefore lose much of their social lives. Postpartum depression impairs not only social but also physical functioning leading to separation and divorce. The mothers also tend to have difficulties in attending to their infants resulting in neglect and reduced responsiveness to the infants needs on important matters such as breastfeeding (Sword et al., 2008).
Postpartum depression is a major public health issue which requires early diagnosis and treatment. However, there are several challenges and barriers that impede its effective treatment. Firstly, many women feel ashamed about admitting that they are actually depressed after child birth (Sword et al., 2008). The society has put a lot of pressure on the mothers and who are expected to responsibly take care of their infants. As a result, mothers fear that if they were to admit that they were ill and depressed they would be branded mentally challenged and put in psychiatric facilities. Additionally, they would be found incapable of caring and their infants would be taken from them. Secondly, the lack of sufficient knowledge on postpartum depression is also a major hindrance. It’s mostly misdiagnosed because it’s viewed as a reaction to social stress situations such as family and financial problems as opposed to emotional problems that resulted from motherhood. Family and friends also lack the requisite knowledge on the issue to enable them to diagnose and instigate remedial actions. Thirdly, it has also been noted that many health care givers do not have the proper knowledge to identify and offer treatment to patients with postpartum depression (Sword et al., 2008). They tend to have patronizing attitudes on the matter and are quick to dismiss the symptoms.
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