What Is Postpartum Depression?
The woman who was killed at the U.S. Capitol was a victim.
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What Is Postpartum Depression? - Miriam Carey, 34, who was killed by Capitol Hill police after a high speed chase in Washington, D.C., Thursday, reportedly suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her 1-year-old daughter, Erica. She also suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. BET.com takes a look at what this illness is and other women who have experienced it. – Natelege Whaley A mother can have this form of depression within the first few months after childbirth, after a miscarriage and or stillbirth. Postpartum depression can last for months. (Photo: Facebook via Miriam Carey)
Photo By Facebook via Miriam Carey
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Not the Baby Blues - Postpartum depression is not to be confused with “the baby blues,” which usually goes away within a few weeks. Up to 80 percent of women go through the baby blues after a pregnancy, in which a woman experiences drastic mood swings. (Photo: Bruce Laurance/Getty Images)
Photo By Bruce Laurance/Getty Images
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Extreme Cases of Postpartum Depression - Postpartum psychosis is an extreme case of detachment that a woman feels toward her baby. Women with postpartum depression often have thoughts of harming her child and herself, but a woman experiencing psychosis feels she must act out these thoughts. (Photo: Comstock/Getty Images)
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Symptoms - Women who have postpartum depression may feel as if she’s lost pleasure in things that usually make her happy. She may feel sad, hopeless, empty and anxious. It may also take a toll on her body. She may have trouble sleeping, lose weight or gain weight and not be able to concentrate or daily tasks. (Photo: laflor/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: laflor/Getty Images
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The Causes - After childbirth, women have a drop in estrogen and progesterone, which may contribute to this depression, according to Mayoclinic.com. Women who have a history of depression or postpartum depression have a greater chance of experiencing this illness. Lack of support from her partner, friends or family drives up these chances. A sickly baby and stress in other parts of her life can add to the possible causes. (Photo: i2i Images/Getty Images)
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How Is It Treated? - Counseling, antidepressants and hormone therapy are the common forms of treating post-partum depression. A psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional is a source of counseling. Because of breastfeeding, a woman must be sure anti-depressants and hormone therapy does not affect the health of her baby. A woman experiencing psychosis would be closely monitored in a hospital setting. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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When to Call the Doctor - If a new mother has strong feelings of sadness and detachment throughout her day for more than a week or two, she should talk her doctor. She should speak to her doctor immediately if she is having suicidal thoughts. (Photo: Izabela Habur/Getty Images)
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Prevention - Women with a history of depression and postpartum depression should tell their doctors as soon as they find out they are expecting. This will allow the doctor to keep track of their condition, through the pregnancy and postpartum. (Photo: Geri Lavrov / Getty Images)
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How Many Women Have Postpartum Depression? - Northwestern University Medicine this year screened 10,000 women after their pregnancies and found that 14 percent of them had postpartum depression. Of the women who had tested positive for depression, 30 percent of them had been experiencing depression prior to pregnancy, 40 percent post-pregnancy and 30 percent during pregnancy. (Photo: Image Source / Getty Images)
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Jill Scott Describes Post-Pregnancy Stress - Although Jill Scott never said she had postpartum depression, she described feeling helpless and stressed after her first child was born. “The first two months I wanted to give him back,” she said. “One day as I was standing by the door and I was considering throwing him out into the pool, at that moment I looked at him and said, ‘ah, I love you.’” (Photo: Koi Sojer/Pacific Coast News)
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