Depression can happen during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum. It can feel like sadness and hopelessness. It can also feel like anger and rage. You may notice you are sleeping too much or not enough. You could be having thoughts like you should have never become a mother, or your baby would be better off without you. Attending a support group can be helpful, in addition to speaking with a therapist. If you are finding it hard to function, medication may be helpful. You can read about depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.

Anxiety can happen anytime during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Anxiety can happen anytime during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Anxiety can feel like your thoughts are racing and won’t turn off. Many women say this makes it hard to sleep or fall back to sleep. Anxiety can look like being fearful that something bad may happen, and also thinking and worrying about how much the baby is eating or sleeping. Anxiety symptoms can also include panic attacks. Some women say they can’t eat, slow down, or relax. Attending a support group can be helpful, as well as speaking with a therapist. If you are finding it hard to function, medication may be helpful. You can read about anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum period on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or “OCD” are intrusive thoughts that tend to start with scenarios like “what if…” The thoughts tend to be images and thoughts that are scary in nature. Many women don’t want to share these thoughts with others because they fear how others will see them, because they are so disturbing. Therapy is helpful with OCD and medication can be very helpful, also. Karen Kleiman wrote a wonderful book about OCD and new mothers, which is highly recommended. It is called Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts. Dr. Kat’s Podcast, Mom and Mind, has a wonderful episode where Dr. Kat talks about her own experience with OCD thoughts as a new mom. You can also read about OCD during pregnancy and the postpartum period on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or “PTSD” can affect women who have experienced trauma. This can be a trauma from the pregnancy, the birth experience, or trauma from an earlier age. Women may experience flashbacks of the trauma. They may have panic attacks or avoid things that are connected with the trauma.  Attending a support group can be helpful as well as speaking with a therapist. EMDR is a special kind of therapy that has been shown to help people experiencing PTSD.  If you are finding it hard to function, medication may be helpful. You can read about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.

Bipolar mood disorders include both Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Women may have already been diagnosed before pregnancy from having a personal history, or these disorders can begin during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Bipolar looks like having extreme highs, which are called hypomania and or extreme lows such as depression and or anxiety.  Some women find they can’t sleep, they have endless amounts of energy, and some women remark that they enjoy the increase in energy.  Some women may feel the highs and the lows at the same time. It is important to get the right help with Bipolar disorders as some of the standard medications prescribed to treat a maternal mental health disorder are not advised if you have Bipolar. Dyane Harward wrote a great book detailing her own experience with bipolar onset after the birth of her daughter called The Birth of New Brain.  You can read about Bipolar mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.

Postpartum psychosis (PPP) effects 1 to 2 in 1000 women. It is a psychiatric emergency that requires immediate hospitalization. Symptoms of PPP can include delusions, confusion, disorientation, paranoia, hearing things that aren’t there, or seeing things that aren’t there, there. Women may obsess about the baby and there may be marked periods of not sleeping. You can read more about Postpartum Psychosis on Postpartum Support International’s website to learn more about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.