Doctors Think They Know the Cause of Post-Partum Depression
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The birth of a baby should be a joyful time, so people have long been puzzled as to why so many mothers suffer from post-partum depression, PPD.
PPD is depression which affects mothers of newborns, and symptoms can range from mild sadness - the “baby blues” up to the most severe form, post-partum psychosis, which is a very serious condition.
Up to 80 percent of women suffer from PPD to some extent. Many experience at least a few weeks of postpartum blues. 10-15 percent have depression that may last a month or more and a few percent experience severe psychosis that can last up, or even more than a year.
A study released this week from Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine seems to have identified the likely cause of PPD.
Here’s what the doctors think happens to cause PPD. It’s all to do with a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that effects mood, and is known to cause depression when serotonin levels are unbalanced.
Serotonin also plays an important role during pregnancy. Serotonin in the mother’s blood supply plays an important role in helping nutrients and oxygen to get to the baby.
After the baby is born, serotonin levels in the mother’s blood start to rise, and interact with receptors in the now-empty uterus, stimulating production of another chemical called interleukin-1 beta. Interleukin-1 beta is involved in regulating the way the brain detects serotonin, and until the interleukin-1 beta levels return to normal, the mother’s brain doesn’t detect serotonin properly, resulting in depression.
The Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine has just received a federal grant to study more women, and hopefully prove their theory. If it turns out serotonin and Interleukin-1 beta are to blame, then treatments for PPD based on controlling levels of interleukin-1 beta in the blood may be life-changing for women who suffer from PPD.
Michelle says...
I was worried about PPD before my baby was born, not knowing if I would be exposed to it. I had a mild form of it. That scientific explanation is nice, but my explanation makes more sense to me. HAving just given birth to the most amazing innocent little being, who is closer to the spiritual world than anything I have ever known, I became much more aware of all the evil in the world. It saddened me. Everyday I chose to ignore the dark side, knowing it exists, and live in my Pollyanna world.