Postpartum Depression Treatment In The Late 1800s

These days work stress postnatal depression and anxiety are addressed with compassion.

Postpartum depression treatment in the late 1800s. These surgeries were reputed to have a calming effect. Postpartum depression is often treated with psychotherapy also called talk therapy or mental health counseling medication or both. Treatments during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were usually inadequate for people with severe depression. With proper treatment most women feel better and their symptoms improve.

Treatment for perinatal depression often includes therapy medications or a combination of the two. Studies have found that. Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed type of medication for postpartum depression. As a result many desperate people were treated with lobotomy the surgical destruction of the frontal portion of a person s brain which had become popular as a calming treatment at this time.

Half of men who have partners with postpartum depression will go on to develop depression themselves. This prevents postpartum depression symptoms such as mood swings sadness and irritability. Only in one case 1868 was additional treatment prescribed in the form of polenta poultices sulphates of potassium iodide leeches rubbery emulsions with iron carbonate and gentian extracts and in another 1871 morphine acetate infusions of senna leaves citric acid and ammonium acetate ethers 57. Cognitive behavioral therapy cbt and interpersonal psychotherapy ipt are two of the most widely used forms of therapy to aid in the recovery of postpartum depression.

Antidepressants work to elevate and stabilize the mood. But just a few generations ago the women who suffered from these conditions were confined to an asylum. Additionally postpartum depression doesn t only affect new mothers. Rooted largely in women s thwarted ambitions and limited opportunities a rash of so called hysteria cases occured during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The duration of postpartum depression will largely depend on how soon it is diagnosed and treated. Some studies have shown that rates of ppd in adoptive parents are comparable to ppd rates in. Treatment for perinatal depression is important for the health of both the mother and the baby as perinatal depression can have serious health effects on both. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries treatments for severe depression were generally not enough to help patients leading many people desperate for relief to have lobotomies which are surgeries to destroy the frontal portion of the brain.

In today s society postpartum depression can be treated by therapy and prescribed medications. It may help to talk through your concerns with a psychiatrist psychologist or other mental health professional.