Postpartum depression can affect anyone regardless of social status or wealth. The list of celebs who have had to gain control of this very real part of pregnancy and childbirth continues to grow. The latest celebrity to admit to having suffered from postpartum depression is singer Marie Osmond.

Reports published recently online revealed that in 1999 following the birth of her son Matthew she had the worst case of the baby blues ever. While admitting that she had baby blues in previous births, with Matthew it was bad and became more than just that. In an interview published online at the Daily Mail website, Osmond said, “Then one day, she snapped. I remember walking down the stairs and putting Matthew in the arms of the nanny. I can’t stay here, I told her. There is something wrong, really wrong with me. I have to leave until I figure it out.”

Thankfully, her husband and mother helped her seek treatment and she got better. Osmond said she was shocked to know her own mother had also had her own battle with the demon of postpartum depression.

Symptoms of Postpartum Depression

It is important to identify the symptoms of Postpartum depression so that help can be found before disaster strikes. Some of the most commons symptoms include:

• Thoughts of suicide

• Thoughts of harming the baby or even others

• Extreme anxiety

• Elevated levels of stress

• Change in sleep pattern

• Desire to stay in bed

• Loss of appetite

The feelings of Postpartum depression are far more elevated than those of baby blues which affects many new moms. If you or a loved one is pregnant, start learning about this potentially serious condition before the birth so as to be prepared.

Other Celebrities Who Battled Postpartum Depression

Another celebrity who has had to deal with the condition is Brooke Shields. She was lambasted by Tom Cruise for talking about using prescription medication to deal with postpartum depression. Shields went on to write a book which she hoped would help other women, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. Others include Gwyneth Paltrow, actress Gena Lee Nolin formerly of Baywatch who had the condition with all three of her children; Angelina Jolie, Courteney Cox-Arquette, Amanda Peet and Lisa Marie Presley.

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.

• More information on PPD