Postpartum Mood Disorder (PPMD)

What is Postpartum Mood Disorder?

Postpartum mood disorder is a broad term that includes postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder. Symptoms may begin during pregnancy. Men can also experience emotional difficulty during the postpartum period.

Up to 80% of women feel sad or anxious during the first weeks after childbirth or adoption of a baby- it’s often called the “baby blues”. If these symptoms continue beyond the first few weeks postpartum, or become worse, a woman may be experiencing a postpartum mood disorder. Postpartum mood disorders affect up to 20% of mothers.

Although all women are susceptible to developing a mood disorder following childbirth, women who have one or more of the following factors have a moderate to significant increased risk of experiencing postpartum depression or a mood disorder:

• Depression or anxiety during pregnancy
• Stressful recent life events
• Lack of social support (either a perceived lack of support or a real lack of support)
• Personal and/or family history of mental illness
• Low self-esteem
• Being a “worrier” or having negative thinking styles
• Poor relationship with partner or close family member

*This information has been adapted from Postpartum Depression: A guide for front line Health and Social Service Providers (2005) Ross, L., Dennis, C., Blackmore,E., and Stewart, D.

If you are concerned that you may be experiencing a postpartum mood disorder, you don’t have to suffer in silence. You’re not the only one who feels this way. There’s plenty of help available to you.