Is postpartum depression a disability? | Zyla Health

 Eda Leshan once said, “A new baby is like the beginning of all things — wonder, hope and a dream of possibilities”. Nurturing a new life inside our bodies is the closest thing to a miracle.

Childbirth is the hardest and most rewarding experience of a woman’s life. As you bring your newest family member to your home, you bring joy, love and new excitement into your life. You fill your lives with happiness as you see the little one grow.

But did you know that the changes of motherhood can take a toll on your mental health? You must have heard about baby blues which are mild mood swings that occur for a few days after childbirth. However, some mothers can experience severe mood disturbances that are called postpartum depression (PPD) or postnatal depression (PND).

Because of the stigmas that surround mental health, postpartum depression is often considered an indicator of being an unfit mother, rather than a genuine problem. But it is so real that it is one of the most common complications of childbirth, affecting around 10–20% of mothers.

In this blog, we will learn about postpartum depression in detail starting with some of the basic questions like what is postpartum depression and why it happens.

We will also address some of the common questions like is postpartum depression a disability? Is there any treatment for it? etc, in an attempt to counter the stigma and start a larger conversation about the importance of the mental health of new mothers.

Some mothers can experience severe mood disturbances.

What are the common mood disorders in mothers after childbirth?

Childbirth represents a time when women undergo changes in their bodies, emotions and hormones that can take a toll on their mental health.

During the postnatal period, that is the time after childbirth, there is an increased risk of developing serious mood disorders. There are broadly three common types of postpartum mood disorders:

1. Postpartum Blues, also known as maternity blues or baby blues.
2. Postpartum Depression (PPD) or Postnatal Depression (PND)
3. Postpartum Psychosis also known as Postnatal Psychosis or Puerperal Psychosis

Baby blues are common but not of much concern unless they develop into something serious. Sometimes, there may be a period of well being after which the symptoms worsen and gradually develop into postpartum depression. Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious mental health condition that requires hospitalization.

Let us now examine what exactly postpartum depression is!

What is postpartum depression?

As we have already learned, postpartum depression is a mood disorder that affects women after childbirth. The symptoms usually start showing within four weeks of delivery and can go on for a year, unless treated properly.

It has an impact on the health of both mother and baby. Postpartum depression can be physically and emotionally weakening and lead to serious complications if left untreated which causes people to wonder, is postpartum depression a disability?…

Let us look at how PPD can present itself in mothers…

Postpartum depression symptoms

Postpartum depression symptoms gradually develop with time and commonly manifest as:

• Loss of energy or fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Sleep disturbances
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or hopelessness
• Feeling like crying all the time
• Poor concentration and memory
• Withdrawal from society and family
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

Women who are suffering from PPD feel like they are inadequate, ‘bad’ or unloving mothers. They worry excessively about their baby’s health or feeding habits. In extreme cases, postpartum depression symptoms can include suicidal tendencies, where mothers may want to harm themselves or even their babies.

By now, it is evident that PPD can be harmful if it is not diagnosed and treated properly. PPD can contribute to bonding issues and lead to sleeping and feeding problems for the baby.

Did you know?

Although women are mostly affected by this, sometimes even fathers can suffer from PPD! Some studies suggest that low vitamin D levels are linked to depression. Read our blog, “Keeping Vitamin D under check for a healthy conception“ to know more…

In case you have any of the above symptoms or any other concerning health condition, you can download the Zyla app or visit our website- Zyla.in. Zyla provides personalised treatment for your overall health management.

Women who are suffering from PPD worry excessively about their baby’s health or feeding habits.

Before learning the diagnosis and treatment, let’s explore the scientific causes and factors that contribute to the development of this disorder.

Causes of postpartum depression

The exact causes of postpartum depression are still unclear but there are many possible theories. Any mood disorder is a very complex disease, and there are multiple factors affecting it: biological, genetic, environmental and experiential. Therefore, it’s likely that all these factors play a role in the development of PPD.

1. Hormonal changes

The most widely believed cause of postpartum depression is the hormonal changes that occur after pregnancy. There is a rapid decline of reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen, returning to prepregnancy levels within 3 days. The usual monthly cycle of hormones is absent during pregnancy and lactation.

In addition to that, thyroid function also returns to prepregnancy levels approximately 4 weeks after delivery. To know more about thyroid disorders during pregnancy, read our blog, “Thyroid disease: Development during pregnancy, it’s impact on pregnancy and how to treat it”.

Because of these significant hormonal changes, it is only natural that mood disturbances can happen which in some cases may develop into PPD.

However, it is important to understand that these changes are normal and cannot be prevented.

2. Prior history of depression or mood disorders

Having a previous history of clinical depression or other mood disorders could be one of the causes of postpartum depression.

3. Stressful events

Dealing with stressful events in addition to dealing with pregnancy can increase the risk of developing postpartum depression. The mother might start questioning herself, is postpartum depression a disability?

4. Lack of sleep

The lack of sleep for a new mother, coupled with a lack of social or family support has been observed as one of the possible causes of postpartum depression.

Did you know?

A study found that two-thirds of women with postpartum depression also had an anxiety disorder.

What are the complications of PPD?

Now that we have discussed the causes of postpartum depression, we should know why it is so important to seek professional help without any delay.

• For the mother, this episode of PPD can be the beginning of chronic recurrent depression which can become very serious in later stages.
• The baby can have trouble sleeping, eating and learning to speak. A mother’s ongoing depression can contribute to the child’s emotional, behavioural, cognitive and interpersonal problems in later life.

If the mother is suffering from depression, the other family members like the father are also likely to suffer from depression.

Postpartum depression risks

All women are capable of developing depression after childbirth. Having any of these factors can significantly increase the postpartum depression risks:

• A past history of clinical depression before or during pregnancy
• Excessive anxiety during pregnancy
• Past history of PPD in previous pregnancies
• Family history of depression and mood disorders
• Age of the mother. Research has shown younger the age of the mother, the higher is the risk of developing PPD.
• Lack of social support
• Marital conflict
• Recent stressful life events or socioeconomic status can also affect the mother.

Identifying the postpartum depression risks is essential because identifying a trigger can help us better address the problem and seek treatment on time.

If you’re seeking help to improve your mental health, you can download the Zyla app or visit our website Zyla.in and check out the health program which is suitable for you.

The most widely believed cause of postpartum depression is the hormonal changes that occur after pregnancy.

Let us now look at some of the ways how postpartum depression diagnosis is done!

Postpartum depression diagnosis

The process of postpartum depression diagnosis can be a challenge in itself and there are many reasons for that.

Firstly, because of the stigma and shame associated with mental illnesses, women are usually unwilling to disclose these symptoms to their physicians. They are indirectly and eventually forced to think, “is postpartum depression a disability”?

Many women will ignore these signs or internalise their struggles due to the lack of awareness of the severity of PPD.

The other reason is how similar the symptoms of postpartum depression are to that of postpartum blues, which can be difficult to differentiate. Unless the symptoms are very severe, it is often undetected and considered as natural mood swings that occur after childbirth.

For the postpartum depression diagnosis, there are two main classification systems used within psychiatry:

1. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in its current fifth edition (DSM-5, 2013) and
2. The 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, (ICD-10), published by the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2019).

Apart from the unnecessary medical details, DSM-5 and ICD-10 contain standard criteria for the diagnosis of known mental illnesses, like postpartum depression.

Your doctor with the help of standardized interviews, self-report questionnaires, and clinician-rated scales will screen you for the diagnostic symptoms of PPD. PPD is diagnosed after a psychiatric evaluation and medical evaluation.

Now let us learn how PPD can be treated in new mothers!

Postpartum depression treatment

If PPD is not diagnosed and treated early, it can lead to many long-term adverse effects not only on the mother’s health but also on her child and family. The following lines of postpartum depression treatment can be adopted by your doctor:

1. Antidepressant medications can be effective. The commonly used drug is fluoxetine or paroxetine which is effective and has fewer side effects. Since this drug is safe for breastfeeding, make sure you do not self medicate. Discuss with your doctor about the safety and side effects of all the antidepressants before starting with any of them.
2. Hormonal patches (estrogen or progesterone) can also be recommended for postpartum depression treatment.
3. Continuous reassurance and psychological support by your family members can go a long way. In an interview with mothers who have recovered from PPD, the first suggestion they gave was to “find someone to talk to.” For this reason, peer support groups can be very helpful.
4. If there is no improvement of symptoms, psychiatric consultation is looked for. The two widely used therapies are Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which can improve your mental health.

If you are wondering how to prevent PPD, the next section will be helpful as we take a closer look at some preventative measures.

How can you prevent PPD?

There is no hard and fast rule on how to prevent PPD but if you take care of yourself by following the given points, you might be able to stop PPD from getting worse.

1. Have an open discussion with your doctor about your mental health. If you had any depressive episodes during pregnancy or before, make sure to share this with your doctor so that a care plan can be made to watch for signs of postpartum depression after delivery.
2. Look for the risk factors and if you have any of them, look out for any symptoms. Do not dismiss them as mere mood swings and seek medical help.
3. Lastly, education and awareness about PPD not only to you but also to your family members can enhance a positive attitude towards mental health. Have a healthy relationship with others so that you can have a strong support system when you feel low. This way, the question, “is postpartum depression a disability?” won’t arise.

No doubt, post-delivery, it becomes extremely important for a mother to take care of her mental and physical health. One such concern is taking care of the genital region. Read our blog, “Wound healing post-delivery” so that you can take more care of your body.

Before concluding this blog, let us take a brief look into the other two kinds of postpartum mood disorders that I have mentioned in the beginning.

What are postpartum blues and postpartum psychosis?

Postpartum blues

Blues is the most common mood disturbance occurring in almost 30–75% of mothers. The symptoms begin within a few days of delivery, usually on day 3 or 4, and persist for hours up to several days.

The symptoms include:

• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Tearfulness
• Generalized anxiety
• Sleep and appetite disturbance

As you can see, the symptoms are similar to PPD but in a much less severe form. Postpartum blues are by definition time-limited, mild and do not require any treatment other than reassurance.

Do not dismiss symptoms as mere mood swings!

Postpartum psychosis

Very severe depressive episodes which are characterized by the presence of psychotic features are classed as postpartum psychosis. This is different from postpartum depression in cause, severity, symptoms, treatment and outcome.

It is the most severe and uncommon form of postpartum mood disorders and can affect 1- 2 women per 1000 deliveries. The symptoms develop rapidly within the first two weeks after childbirth.

The symptoms include:

• A depressed or elated mood that can change rapidly
• Disorganized behaviour
• Sleep disturbances
• Feeling restless and having strange feelings
• Delusions, where women lose their touch with reality and start having false beliefs
• Hallucinations that can be auditory or visual where they hear or see things that aren’t happening in real life. The other forms of hallucinations of taste, smell and touch are quite less common.

Because of the severity and the chances of harming others, postpartum psychosis requires constant monitoring and hospitalization.

If you develop any symptoms of these mood disorders, you might feel isolated and that nobody can understand what you are going through. You might be scared, so you might not even open up to your loved ones. However, as a part of recovery, you must seek help because you are not alone in this.

The ignorance of mental health remains a major problem in our culture, but postpartum depression is just another complication that can occur after pregnancy and needs treatment just like any other disease.

And the answer to “is postpartum depression a disability?” is obviously a big NO! When we normalise this, only then can we give proper care to these mothers who are in no way less than superheroes!

If you are experiencing any such symptoms, Zyla can help you. You can enrol in our Ova Pentacare Pregnancy Program where Zyla’s team of 50+ medical experts guide you through pre-conception to post-delivery management and counselling.

Zyla has doctors, nutritionists, psychologists and physiologists to provide you with a holistic approach through personalised care and treatment. Feel free to download the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in.

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How to recover from COVID-19 at home?

 Everyone clearly remembers how one night in March 2020, our lives changed completely. The whole world slowly woke up to worldwide shutdowns because of a coronavirus outbreak. It’s been two years of learning how to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak while waiting for an end to the pandemic.

We never expected our lives to be affected to this extent because of COVID-19. The pandemic has changed the social, mental and physical landscape of the world.

Today, as we look around we have only just begun with the third wave of illness that might lead to another sweep of lockdowns in the nation.

We have come a long way from the initial few months of the pandemic. We know that mild cases can be managed at home, under the supervision of a physician.

Let us take a look at what you can do in order to recover from COVID-19 at home and make the recovery process, a seamless one.

Who can recover from COVID-19 at home?

Most people with no or mild symptoms like fever, coughing, body pain, weakness and normal oxygen saturation can recover from COVID-19 by being isolated at home without the requirement of hospitalization.

In case of serious symptoms like shortness of breath, oxygen saturation less than 94%, the patient should be taken to the hospital immediately.

Let us take a look at some guidelines to recover from the illness at home.

Did you know?

In a clinical trial with over 3000 patients, it was found that remote patient monitoring is an effective strategy for managing COVID-19 at home.

Follow these steps to prevent COVID-19 infection.

Guidelines to recover from COVID-19 at home

Here are some general guidelines to recover from COVID-19 at home while self-isolating.

1. Connect with the doctor: When the symptoms start, make sure you contact your doctor immediately, start with the medications and complete the medicine course.
2. Blood tests: Do blood tests as prescribed by your doctor.
3. Isolate yourself: Keep yourself isolated in a well-ventilated room.
4. Eat-in separate utensils: And keep your used utensils away from the other family members.
5. Use a triple layer mask if around family members. Discard it in a paper bag after 72 hours, cutting it into pieces.
6. Always follow hand hygiene to avoid spreading infection.
7. Avoid sharing personal items: Do not share beddings, utensils, towels, and any other items with anyone in the house.
8. Disinfect surfaces: Like bedside table and other furniture. It also includes disinfecting the toilet at least once daily and the bathroom after use.
9. Measure SPO2 and temperature: Measure your SPO2 level 2–3 times a day and if it drops below 94% discuss it with your doctor for hospitalization. Measure temperature as required.
10. Other comorbidities: like diabetes, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, needs close observation in order to ensure that people with comorbidities don’t face any complications.

If you have diabetes and have caught the COVID-19 virus, you must be stressed and thinking about all the rumours. I understand what you are feeling and so I will suggest you read our blog, “Coronavirus and diabetes“ to clear your doubts.

Also, if you know someone who could find these guidelines useful, then do share it with them. If you or your family member have been tested positive for the COVID-19 virus then enrol in Zyla’s COVID-19 care plan for personalised care and treatment.

Home treatments to recover from COVID-19 at home?

While following the above guidelines to keep everyone around you safe, you must also follow the below COVID-19 care tips to have a smooth recovery:

Always follow hand hygiene to avoid spreading infection.

1. Eat right to win this fight!

Nutrition plays a very important part in recovering from infection. With the right diet, you can boost your immunity and ensure a smooth recovery from the illness.

• Eat healthy home-cooked food to ensure you have an adequate intake of nutrients.
• Have small and frequent meals throughout the day.
• Have soft food in main meals like rice dal, khichdi, daliya, vegetable oats or curd rice etc.
• Have 2–3 vitamin C rich fruits in mid meals like apple, papaya, guava, mosambi, orange, kiwi, grapes etc.
• Have protein-rich mid meals like dal soup, raw paneer, sattu sharbat, paneer ka pani, kale chane ka pani, boiled egg whites or boiled moong/ chana.
• Limit excess of salt, oily, processed and preserved food.

2. Keep your hydration level up!

In any viral illness — it is extremely important to stay well hydrated. Adequate fluid intake will detoxify your body and restore water loss due to dehydration.

• Water: Keep yourself hydrated with 3 litres of warm water every day, it will help to lower the body temperature and also prevent dehydration.
• Include other fluids: Like lemon water, coconut water, bael sharbat, sattu water, dal soup to boost immunity and fulfill nutritional requirements.
• Kadha: Have immunity booster drinks like herbal tea or kadha. To prepare kadha, boil 5–6 basil (tulsi) leaves, add a pinch of cinnamon (dalchini) and turmeric (haldi) powder, 1-inch ginger (adrak) and licorice (mulethi), and a pinch of black pepper (kali mirch) powder in a cup of water and drink at least 2–3 times a day. They have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
• Golden milk: Add a pinch of turmeric (haldi) powder in a glass of milk and drink once or twice a day recover from COVID-19 at home.

3. Steam inhalation

• Ajwain inhalation: Boil 1 tbsp of ajwain seeds in water and do steam inhalation 2–3 times a day. This will help you get rid of congestion and help in proper airflow through the lungs.
• Steam nebulizer: You can also take steam with the nebulizer as given by the doctor.

4. Gargle

• Saline gargle: Gargle with warm saline water at least 2 times a day to relieve sore throat and cough.
• Herbal gargle: Add 1 tsp cinnamon (dalchini) powder and a pinch of black pepper (kali mirch) powder in a glass of warm water, strain the water and gargle with it, do this twice daily for a week or more.

5. Practice planned breathing!

• Breathing exercises: Perform breathing exercises by taking slow deep breaths through your nose and breathing out through the mouth. Repeat this exercise at least twice a day to prevent COVID-19 lung damage.
• Tackle shortness of breath: Lie in a prone position that is on the belly and try to breathe deep if you are experiencing breathing difficulties.

6. Move but don’t exert!

• If you are able to walk, then start walking for 15 minutes twice daily in your room.
• Other exercises could include light stretching or yoga. Gradually improve stamina with small and easy exercises for 30 minutes per day.
• Avoid doing any weight-bearing exercises for a while.

When to seek emergency medical attention

While you recover from COVID-19 at home, immediate medical attention should be sought if serious signs and symptoms develop. These symptoms include:

1. Difficulty in breathing
2. Oxygen saturation Spo2 < 94%
3. Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
4. Pale, grey or blue skin, lip or nail color

Contact your doctor if you experience these symptoms and seek advise for hospitalisation.

For customized care from experts, download the Zyla app today and enrol in our COVID-19 care plan.

Now that you know who can recover at home, it is important that you follow above-mentioned guidelines and home remedies. This way, you can prevent the spread of coronavirus and have a speedy recovery for yourself.

Let’s jump on to another essential aspect of contracting COVID-19 virus and that is, guidelines for people who are taking care of a COVID-19 patient.

Guidelines for caregivers

1. Caregivers must wear mask around the patient and must not touch it during use. It must be disposed off on a regular basis.
2. The number of caregivers must be limited while treating COVID-19 at home.
3. Help the patient follow the doctor’s instructions and other COVID-19 care tips.
4. Make sure that the patient drinks a lot of fluid and gets enough rest.
5. If the patient has breathing issues or chest pain, immediately contact doctor.
6. Clean and disinfect the things like table, doorknob, utensils etc.
7. Other family members are supposed to be quarantined in the house but must reside in different rooms and maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from the sick person.
8. Visitors should not be allowed to meet the patient until he/ she recovers.

If you’re stuck at home due to COVID-19 spread and not able to take care of yourself, then here are some ways which you can try, read our blog- 9 Ways to stay healthy at home during coronavirus pandemic.

Must know do’s and don’ts to recover from COVID-19 at home

Don’ts

• Don’t panic: Stay calm and relaxed when you test positive.
• Don’t go out or use public transport.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth or face without washing your hand.
• Don’t share utensils, beddings, or water with any of the family members.
• Don’t allow visitors at home or don’t visit someone else’s home.

Do’s

• Stay isolated till further instruction.
• Cover your mouth and sneeze into your elbow or use a handkerchief/tissue.
• Practice good hand hygiene: wash your hands for at least 30 seconds.
• Treating COVID-19 at home requires you to monitor your symptoms daily and update your doctor regularly.
• Protect your immune system by consuming a balanced diet and getting enough sleep.
• Dispose of your masks properly in order to avoid infecting others.
• Consult your doctor before ending your isolation period and ask for any post covid recovery tests.

Hopefully, all of the above information is useful and helps you or a family member to recover from COVID-19 at home.

Remember to self-isolate and follow sanitary precautions in order to prevent the spread of infection. With a healthy diet, hydration, breathing exercises and plenty of rest, all under your doctor’s supervision — you should be able to recover quickly and get back to normal life.

It’s important to keep in mind that while there is an overwhelming amount of information available about COVID-19, always consult your healthcare provider, and reach out to them for any concerns or questions you might have.

It is also advisable to get yourself vaccinated so that you have stronger immunity and defeat COVID-19 easily. For more information, read our blog- The effectiveness of coronavirus vaccine.

Keep COVID-19 precautions to stay safe.

If you have been tested positive for COVID-19 and are looking for treatment, then Zyla can help you. Visit our website- Zyla.in and enrol in our COVID-19 care plan. Or if you’re dealing with post-COVID 19 symptoms, then you can enroll in post COVID healthy recovery plan.

Zyla has a team of doctors, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychologists who can help you have a speedy recovery. Visit our website- Zyla.in or download the Zyla app now.

Stay strong! Stay healthy!
Source: https://blog.zyla.in/how-to-recover-from-covid-19-at-home-zyla-health-fbc3556f5bbd.