Signs of Postnatal Depression

They key to finding out when a woman has postnatal depression is, of course, to understand and to recognize the signs of postnatal depression, also known as postpartum depression and when they can occur.

What is postnatal depression, though?

Postnatal depression is a type of clinical depression that can afflict women, after they give birth to their children.

Postpartum depression should be considered as a serious medical illness. It occurs because of the changing hormone levels in a woman after giving birth. The lifestyle changes inevitable after childbirth also contribute significantly.

In most cases, this type of depression can happen within the first few months after a woman has given birth. Women who have undergone either a stillbirth or a miscarriage can also suffer postpartum depression.

Women who are affected with this type of depression can experience a difficult time in their efforts at bonding and caring for their new infant.

In some cases postnatal depression can even worsen to the point that it becomes something known in clinical circles as postnatal psychosis. This is a rare and more extreme type of depression, which could result in the afflicted women potentially hurting herself or her infant.

The symptoms of postpartum depression can actually overlap with something referred to as the Baby Blues, which is a recognised type of depression experienced by women in first days and sometimes weeks after giving birth. The Baby Blues can become postnatal depression when a person suffers the symptoms for an extended amount of time.

Here are the Baby Blues symptoms:

• Mood swings

• Either mild or moderate types of anxiety

• It is usual for sadness to be present

• Unusual irritability

• Lack of ability in either focusing or concentrating on things

• Sleep predicaments like excessive sleep or difficulty in falling asleep

• Crying

• Lack of interest in the baby

Some of the usual postnatal depression symptoms are:

• A loss of appetite

• difficulty in falling asleep

• Irritability

• Loss of sexual and general interest

• Extreme mood swings

• Withdrawal from people they are normally close to

• Inability to bond with new infant

• Thoughts of self-harm or even harming the new infant

There are a whole host of symptoms that a woman experiencing postnatal depression may display. Therefore, there is again the need to be really familiar with these symptoms. Woman and men in Ireland should be aware that postnatal depression is real, and they should be on the lookout for the very real possibility of its onset after childbirth occurs.

Suicide Prevention Ireland provides resources for men and women who are at risk of suicide. Find a range of articles including women and depression, male depression, as well as common stresses, illnesses, and issues, and know that help is at hand.

Mild Depression Symptoms - Early Warning Signs That You Have to Know

Clara M. started to feel sad more often. She realized that it wasn't so easy any more to get herself out of the 'blues'. Perhaps she began to feel early mild depression symptoms.

While most of us go through times in life that make us feel low, depression is a completely different story. Depression may come in different degrees ranging from mild to severe. It's crucial to spot these mild symptoms of depression before it becomes full blown.

Have you reached a point in your life where you feel you can't move on? Are you in despair about your current situation? It seems that the more you think about these questions, the harder it is to get the right answers.

Now, imagine life where you are happy again and live your life as you did before. What if there is a cure for depression in less than six weeks, a method that can help you break the cycle of depression, would you be interested?

Reading word for word, you'll soon discover the secret method that has helped over 30,000 depressed people to overcome depression, and get on with their normal life.

Actually, Clara M. suffered from mild depression, and was still able to do normal activities and function effectively. Unlike having severe depression, Clara's mild depression symptoms were subtle such as lack of energy, less interest in things she normally liked to do, slight changes in mood and behavior and some changes in eating habits.

These early warning signs might feel as if Clara just had a 'bad day'. The changes might even go unnoticed by colleagues or family members, thinking that maybe she was just stressed from work or school. She might even think that she had just a hard time at work so she felt a bit 'off'.

The thing common in most depressed people is denial. If Clara would be confronted with the fact that she has got mild depression, she might not like to look truth in the eyes. Clara may become one of these depressed people who cover up their condition and resort to an unhealthy life style in order to cope with her mild depression symptoms. Overeating, working overtime, alcohol consumption and drug abuse are just some that come into mind.

Mild depression is also associated with being detached from thoughts and feeling. People don't want to be made aware of their current altered state. Clara might get upset about this feeling of incapability to restore things to the 'way they used to be'. Even if she wants to change it, she feels too tired to make those changes and falls even deeper into depression.

Progression of mild depression may lead to a more severe state. These symptoms may go on for days to months and slowly escalate to more drastic changes. Changes may occur that include neglect of personal hygiene, inability to focus on work or studies, giving up important relationships, distorted thought patterns, and delusions.

Depression symptoms may vary from person to person. Also Clara M. has to accept the fact that she is depressed, and that she has to look for the root cause for her depression.

Don't prolong your agony and live miserably! Get your life back in order now before it is too late.

Depression Hurts, Overcome Depression

Fighting depression is not always easy but here are some simple tips for coping with depression. If you have chronic depression you should seek professional help. Everybody gets depressed once in a while, you do not have to stay depressed.

Anxiety and depression are inward facing, the trick to treating depression is to focus your attention outwards.

Every morning when you wake up say, out loud, "Hello world" and smile, even if you have to fake it at first.

I start my day by looking out the window and saying "what a great day, Thank you." If it is raining and grey I might say "Watering the plants today? Thats good, I like plants".

Find an open space, park or countryside and go for a walk. I know it is hard to make yourself do anything when you are depressed but force yourself, it will get easier. Find a tree and say hello to it. Then really examine the tree, feel its bark and leaves, test the spring of its branches, give it a hug. Tell the tree it is good looking.

Look at other plants and animals and admire them, notice the way they grow and move. Let them know that they are beautiful.

Some of that may sound silly but a little silliness goes a long way towards overcoming depression.

Do not worry about what other people will think of you. They are usually stuck in their own problems and are often jealous, they wish that they could break loose.

Become curious about all of life, find things that you never noticed before. Learn something new every day. Creation is a wonderful thing, watch the birds soar, notice how plants grow even in the most unlikely places.

Do not take life seriously, some things can be important but they should not be serious. Learn to laugh at the ridiculous things that we do, learn to laugh at yourself.

People have told me that I am weird, I say "Why thank you, I would hate to be normal", they usually laugh and I laugh with them. Do not go out of your way to be weird, you will get more respect and make more friends by being your true self.

If you have a problem that seems too heavy, go out and try to convince the world how serious it is. Try to tell the stars that your problem is the end of the world, tell a tree how bad things are. Life goes on, in a week or a few months the problem is usually gone and you will wonder why you worried about it.

Live, laugh and send your love into the world, it will come back.

Learn to love yourself, you are unique. You are the best person in the world at being you. Everyone has something to offer the world, do not waste it by staying locked in, reach out. There are a lot of people out there who would love to get to know you, give them the chance.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. Buddha

Do You Have Work Burnout: Prevention and Symptoms

Work Burnout is Dangerous to your Health!

If you are a business owner or an employee, the holidays can be overly busy times. You feel the responsibility to your customers and clients. Added personal responsibilities for extra time needed to get gifts, attend social events can make you feel like you are burning the candle at both ends. Where is the time going to come from? This added pressure can bring you to the point of burnout.

Work burnout is a common occurrence among the best and most responsible workers in all fields. It happens most frequently if you love your job and what you do. You have high standards for yourself; perhaps you are a bit of a perfectionist or an idealist. You want to provide the best service; go over and beyond what is expected to give service to others.

Burnout can sneak up on you. You may not even realize that it is work that is causing your symptoms, and think that you are feeling stress from other areas in your life. In fact, whether the cause is work or other stress, your symptoms can overlap. Burnout can even seem like depression, and often doctors will misdiagnose and mistreat work burnout. That is why it's important for you to be aware of the symptoms. If you are dealing with another stressor in your life, and you don't feel better, you can start feeling frightened and powerless about getting better.

With work burnout, as you get busier and busier trying to get more accomplished, it become almost like the syndrome of a frog in slowly increasing warm water getting boiled to death. You don't even notice until it's too late.

Symptoms of Burnout:

FATIGUE You are working like a maniac, but never seem to get caught up. Productivity declines as you increase they time you are spending to get your projects done.

SELF FORGETTING You are not taking time to do the things you once enjoyed; seeing your friends, shopping for and cooking healthy foods, reading or watching movies, etc.

UNEXPLAINABLE MISERY You are miserable but don't understand why. You may be feeling tired, but unable to get relief from sleep, if you are able to sleep! Headaches and other physical symptoms, your immune system is being compromised. If you see your doctor, (s)he may misdiagnose and treat you for depression. You are NOT depressed: you are overwhelmed from work.

EMOTIONAL REACTION Your frustration level drops, you become cynical and aggressive. Your values of service are being challenged, and you wonder why you ever thought this work was a good idea.

DISENGAGED You don't want to be with friends or people who you had enjoyed. You want to be by yourself. You push away people who want to help you. You feel an inner emptiness and loss of purpose.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL COLLAPSE Your body, being the receptacle of your negative emotions stops you from continuing on this path by ramping up the milder symptoms to full blown illness. You have passed the point where an easy fix is possible. You MUST stop and rebuild your life.

The fact is that burnout is a very common occurrence in today's economy. People are afraid if they don't do extra, their business or job will be in jeopardy. Frightened about the negative possibilities of the economy, you may be putting extra effort and time into every project and over emphasize the importance of small, otherwise meaningless details.

What can you do to prevent burnout?

It is important to realize that burnout is something that you are creating in your own life. If you work with others who are not suffering from these symptoms, it may help you to understand that there is a reason that you are experiencing burnout and they are not! You may be overworking or taking on too much responsibility. Do you have trouble saying "no"? Are you taking over and not allowing others to do their jobs because you think they may not do it as well as you? Are you a perfectionist, and don't want to share control? Are you enabling others NOT to do the work because they know that YOU will do the job if they don't? If any of these scenarios sound like you, it's time to be honest with yourself. Even if the president of the US stops working, or dies, there is someone who will take over! No one is indispensable.

You must realize that it is not up to you to take care of every one in every moment. If you own your own business, you may need to hire help, because you are trying to do too much yourself! If you are a valued employee, you can speak with your manager or boss, and explain that you are experiencing symptoms of overwork. Good employers and managers will pay attention and help prevent and alleviate burnout and workplace stress with wellness programs, better schedules and job descriptions that don't put their best employees at risk.

Caregiver burnout, work burnout and stress hurt not only an employee, but co-workers and your business clients. It also can make a dent in an employer's bottom line when losing their best workers. Employers will have to pay to rehire and retrain, not knowing if they will get another employee as overly dedicated as the one they lost! Hopefully, your boss will realize that you are an important reason the business is functioning and will help you. Good bosses will provide help for their employees to prevent this from happening. And if your boss doesn't care about helping you these issues, it may be time to start looking for another job.

The best way to prevent work burnout is to be proactive and preventative by doing self-care on a continuous daily basis.

"In an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask first, and then help others".

Cabin Attendant in everyone of the flights you've taken

Other Self care: Be proactive

Eat good food- start with breakfast, healthy snacks (protein - stay away from sugar and white carbs)

Sleep 8 hours - see my sleep hygiene suggestions

Learn to say NO - set up boundaries (see my communication program)

Take a non-coffee/ no cigarette break - Use this time as "Take a Breath break"

Drink a glass of water

Stretch out of your seat (effect of sitting too long: sitosis)

Take a walk, or exercise (park further from your regular spot)

Treat yourself like you are a potential lover you want to impress - say nice things to yourself; make romantic and delicious dinners for yourself; light candles, set the table; listen to yourself - your heart

Keep inspirational quotes around

Turn off bad news - Put on music you enjoy

Smile, relax your face. Smiling has actually been found to be part of a feedback loop that gets your body relaxed, which in turn calms your mind!

The bottom line is: It's up to you to take care of yourself. You can't take care of anyone else if you don't take care of your own needs first. So, to run an effective business, remember to take care of the person who needs it the most: You!

Depression Symptoms

There are a many different types of depression and although many of the symptoms that apply to each will be similar, there are some additional signs to look out for within each type of depressive disorder. The following is a list of some of the main types of depressive disorders and the kind of symptoms that can be associated with them.

Clinical Depression
Depression can range from mild to severe but in order to be classed as major depression, there has to have been at least 5 symptoms of depression for a period of at least two weeks that have been severe enough to interfere with daily routines and that are not related to use of substances, a medical condition, or bereavement.

o Low moods and sadness for most of the time

o Disinterest and lack of pleasure in most activities including sex

o Weight gain or loss with associated increased or diminished appetite

o Sleep disturbances - both insomnia and hypersomnia

o Feeling exhausted when waking up

o Irritability, agitation and restlessness

o Feeling guilty, worthless and/or helpless

o Inability to concentrate and focus

o Indecisiveness

o Fatigue and loss of energy

o Physical aches and pains or digestive problems

o Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
Bipolar disorder is a highly complex depressive disorder that at a basic level can be said to be characterised by severe mood swings fluctuating between extreme "highs" or episodes of mania, to severe "lows" or depressive episodes, however, in reality it isn't quite as simple as that as there is no clear pattern and sometimes symptoms of both mania and depression can be present at the same time (mixed state bipolar).

A manic episode can be diagnosed if at least 3 of the symptoms occur along with an elevated mood for most of the time for at least a week. If the overall mood is one of irritability then another 4 symptoms must be present.

o Increased energy, activity, and restlessness

o Excessively "high," euphoric mood

o Extreme irritability

o Racing thoughts, talking quickly, jumping from one idea to another

o Distractibility, lack off concentration

o Little sleep needed

o Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers

o Poor judgment

o Spending sprees

o A lasting period of behaviour that is different from usual

o Increased sexual drive

o Alcohol and drug abuse

o Provocative or aggressive behaviour

o Denial that anything is wrong

A depressive episode can be diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms are present for most of the time for a period of at least 2 weeks.

o feeling sad, anxious, or empty mood

o Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

o Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

o Loss of pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex

o Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"

o Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

o Restlessness or irritability

o Sleeping too much, or can't sleep

o Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain

o Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury

o Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

Teen Depression
All teenagers go through periods of sadness and moodiness from time to time so it isn't easy to spot when this has developed into depression. In addition to some of the classic signs of depression there are some other signs to watch out for including:

o Headaches and aches and pains not associated with a medical condition

o Frequent absences from school and poor performance

o Persistent boredom, brooding or sulking

o No interest in socialising with peers

o Restless and agitated behaviour

o Often angry, upset or hostile

o Fear of death or dying

o Poor hygiene and neglecting appearance

o Showing extreme sensitivity to rejection

o Self harming

Child Depression
Increasingly, it is being recognised that children suffer from depression too. Some additional signs to look out for include:

o Refusing to go to school or getting into trouble at school

o Clinginess

o Worrying about death or dying

o Pretending to be sick

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD is a type of depression occurring during the winter months. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Some of the more common symptoms include:

o Mood and behaviour changes coinciding with the winter months

o Feeling tired and lethargic most of the time

o Eating and/or sleeping more than usual

o Frequent sick days from work

o Difficulty in concentrating and making decisions

o Irritability

o Lack of interest in socialising

o Stress, anxiety and/or panic attacks

o Loss of interest in sex

o Generally feeling low

Post Natal Depression
Post Natal Depression can occur after a woman has given birth. The symptoms are similar to those of common depression but can also include:

o Feeling guilty, inadequate, and unable to cope

o Fear of not loving the baby enough

o Resentment, hostility or indifference towards the baby or partner

o Feelings of hopelessness and despondency

o Crying or wanting to cry all the time

o Feeling extremely anxious and panicky

o Obsessive fear and worrying

Conclusion

If you think you or someone close to you is suffering from depression the important thing is to see your GP in the first instance, because with a proper diagnosis and the right help, depression is treatable.

Tests to Diagnose ADHD - How Reliable and Definitive Can They Be?

There has been a lot of criticism about the way ADHD is diagnosed. While various questionnaires and interviews of parents and teachers are used, there is still no reliable diagnostic test to diagnose ADD and ADHD. Many parents refuse to accept that a test for ADHD exists which will pinpoint a brain defect. That is the rather simplistic definition which the drug industry likes and will immediately offer a ADHD medication solution once the test for ADHD has been 'confirmed'.

Now the classical procedure to test for ADHD is set out in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The actual exam or doctor's visit will consist of a physical examination of the child and there will be clinical interviews with the parents and the child. This is mainly to exclude other conditions such as depression hallucinations and so on. The child's teacher will be asked to fill out an assessment form. The TOVA (Test of Variables of Attention) is also filled out. None of these tools as a test for ADHD are very accurate in a clinical sense because they are subjective.

Following the DSM guidelines, the doctor or paediatrician will then try to establish from the results of the test for ADHD whether there is any impairment or hindrance in the child's development. That is key. If there is no impairment then there is no disorder. A child may have lots of symptoms of ADHD but if his physical and social development is on a par with his peers, then he does NOT have ADHD.

In assessing all the information from the tests and questionnaires, the doctor will be assessing how long the symptoms have been present and from what age. Are they periodic or chronic by now ? What is the functional disorder present due to, or caused by these symptoms ? Is the child falling behind at school and are the relationships with his peers causing tensions and other problems?

The answers to these questions following the DSM will usually help the doctor to make a diagnosis.

To medicate or not to medicate ? This is the burning question parents have to face once the test for ADHD is over and a diagnosis for ADHD has been confirmed. As the standard conventional ADHD medications are addictive - about 20% of teenagers with ADHD are or will become substance abusers- parents have to make a choice. Certainly natural ADHD treatments are not addictive at all and there are no worrying side effects. Time to take a long hard look at these AHD alternative therapies which will be effective and do not cause withdrawal symptoms. The site below will answer any questions you may have.

How To Identify Your Own Depression

Depression. What is it? Why would a normally healthy, optomistic person get depressed? If things go wrong, don't you just talk yourself out of feeling sorry for yourself? So what if your 23 year marriage ends, and your soon-to-be ex-husband moves in with your best friend; you are left to cope with 2 devastated teenagers; you loose your father and father-in-law to cancer; you have extreme job challenges; and, your new condo, purchased without REALLY knowing what to look for (just don't buy a home with a laundry room upstairs over the living room!) and you develop a roof leak, and a laundry leak into the living room. AND, you are the primary care giver for a very needy Mother.

You can handle all of this, right? And, when, the next year, you loose your Mother and Grandmother to cancer too, it doesn't send you over the edge, does it? Particularly when you also have Multiple Sclerosis, which has been misdiagnosed for over 35 years, and the worst thing for MS is stress and anxiety. You can handle everything, right?

Well, I found that I couldn't. Consider the following list of symptoms that one should review if you think that you might be suffering from depression. OR, if you, like me, are convinced that you CAN HANDLE IT, if the rain would just stop; or, if the roof would just stop leaking (I've already tried to get it fixed 2 times, and it hasn't yet worked; I now have a gallon bucket sitting in the front hallway to catch the water leaking from the hole in the roof); or, if the kids would just stop being "normal" teenagers, when you no longer have a husband to help you in the day-to-day coping with teenagers.

Here is a checklist of symptoms of depressive illness:

1) Loss of energy and interest.

2) Diminished ability to enjoy oneself.

3) Decreased -- or increased -- sleeping or appetite.

4) Difficulty in concentrating; indecisiveness; slowed or fuzzy thinking.

5) Exaggerated feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anxiety.

6) Feelings of worthlessness.

7) Recurring thoughts about death and suicide.

I remember clearly my "last straw". I read the list, above, and was sure that these 7 symptoms did NOT describe me. Then, with all of my water problems at home, I went to work in my 4th (top) floor office that just happened to have a flat roof. While on the phone arguing with the roofer who claimed that my roof shouldn't be leaking, and my telling him that it still was leaking, and if he didn't believe me, he could just come over and see my bucket full of water in my entry way, when I heard the familiar "pitter-patt" noise that freaked me out at home. I looked up at my office ceiling just in time to see water beginning to gush out of the ceiling tiles, around the hanging lights, and pour into my office. That did it. I went home. That night, I awoke thinking that I heard the "pitter-patt" in the upstairs laundry room, dripping water into my living room. I got up, turned off the water to the washing machine; stuffed all of my towels around the washer, and stood with my back against the wall in my first ever anxiety attack, thinking that if this was what my life had become, why would I even want to continue living it?

This event scared me into going to my Doctor. He had a great little "depression" test for me. Knowing my fragile state, he asked me the statements, and, based both on my answers and on the detailed symptom impairment document that I had started preparing for him, prescribed an antidepression medication for me.

I learned two critical things that day - three, really. The first one is that it is critical to have a Doctor that you trust, that knows you, and that LISTENS to what you are saying. Secondly, since he knew about my MS, he told me that Depression was a frequent secondary symptom of MS. (At that time, I hadn't done my MS symptom research yet; the Disabilitykey Workbook, found at http://www.disabilitykey.com is the ultimate result of all of my symptom and system - Long Term Disability and Social Security Disability Insurance - research for myself.) Third, I learned that no matter how strong your personality is, and no matter how positive a person you are, Depression is NOT something you can get over by just "thinking positive thoughts"; by "keeping a stiff upper lip". If you truly think that you are suffering from Depression, there is nothing wrong from talking to your Doctor, and seeking his advice.

All that I have discussed so far happened over a dozen years ago. I am still taking antidepression medication, and it does help. I have searched high and low for the original test that my Doctor used on me, and finally found one at one of my favorite resources, called the "Institute for Algorithmic Medicine" (that's academic talk for medical condition tests). The test is "The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale". As you read the following questions, ask yourself where the statement ranks on the following scale:

1) A little of the time for me.

2) Some of the time for me.

3) A good part of the time for me.

4) Most of the time for me.

I fell down-hearted and blue.

Morning is when I feel the best.

I have crying spells or feel like it.

I have trouble sleeping at night.

I eat as much as I used to.

I still enjoy sex.

I notice that I am losing weight.

I have trouble with constipation.

My heart beats faster than usual.

I get tired for no reason.

My mind is as clear as it used to be.

I find it easy to do the things I used to.

I am restless and can't keep still.

I feel hopeful about the future.

I am more irritable than usual.

I find it easy to make decisions.

I feel that I am useful and needed.

My life is pretty full.

I feel that others would be better off if I were dead.

I still enjoy the things I used to do.

This little test, with your self rating for each statement, and with your symptom impairment documentation, so that your Doctor knows more about you and what is going on in your life, s/he can best decide what to do to help you better achieve a higher quality of life. Perhaps antidepression medication isn't what you need, something else would be better for you. But, if you don't learn, document, seek help, and discuss with your Doctor, s/he can't help you help yourself.

Many of you are probably asking yourselves how I can just put myself out there; just put into these bloggs what is going on in my life. I'm doing this, sharing these experiences so that you can know that I have been there; I've done that; I've got the t-shirts! For more about me, check out the "about us" section in the website: http://www.disabilitykey.com.