Postpartum Depression Research Paper Example

Postpartum depression was not a widely known disorder until an important person spoke up about their experience with it. Brooke Shields is a famous actress who spoke up about this disorder. Postpartum depression affects many mothers even though they do not openly talk about their experience. 

First, postpartum depression is a mood disorder, usually a short period of sadness, that starts during or after childbirth and lasts longer than six weeks (“Postpartum Depression). This disorder affects between ten percent and seventeen percent of all mothers. That is one or two out of every thousand mothers (Rosenberg 17). This disorder often goes unrecognized by many mothers (19). There are two types, early-onset, and late-onset. Early-onset is when this disorder affects a mother in the early weeks of pregnancy. Unlike early-onset, late-onset is when this disorder affects mothers in the later weeks of pregnancy or after birth ("Postpartum Depression"). To illustrate, there are many physical symptoms that include the following: heart palpitations, breathlessness, shallow breathing, restlessness, or change of appetite (Rosenberg 56). There are also many psychological or mental symptoms that include feeling overwhelmed, distressed, or feeling rushed (57). Behavioral symptoms can include withdrawal from contact, irritability, inability to make decisions, and mood swings ("Postpartum Depression").

There are different ways to help with postpartum depression and to diagnose it. Medicine to help can include benzodiazepines, hormones, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotics (Rosenberg 99). Other ways to cope with postpartum are to exercise, balance activity and rest, or have social support (64). Postpartum depression also comes with many risks that include premature or post-mature delivery, poor nutrition, post-traumatic stress disorder during pregnancy or childbirth, or miscarriages (29). There are not many tests to help diagnose people with postpartum depression. The few ways people diagnose themselves are to rule out other medical conditions, comprehensive assessments, and screening devices ("Postpartum Depression"). There can also be roadblocks to getting treatment. Those can be from guilt, denial, or fear that taking the medicine will affect the child (Rosenberg 71).

Brooke Shields had to face the challenges of postpartum for several years. Shields, daughter of Theresa and Francis Shields, was born two months premature on May 31, 1965 (Shields 31). She became pregnant twice in her lifetime, once during her acting career and once after her marriage (298). Shields had late-onset postpartum depression (300). It affected Shields, her husband, her parents, as well as other family members, as well as her child (296). Before her wedding, she became pregnant with a child (298).

Overcoming and facing this disorder can be very challenging and while affecting some people's lives. Not long before her wedding, Shields had a miscarriage (Shields 298). A couple of months after her marriage and into her acting career, Shields became pregnant with a baby girl (303). After a very painful birth, Rowan was born in New York City. Shields had many struggles shortly after birth. She panicked while trying to feed the newborn baby, and believed that the baby already did not like her (307). When arriving home after giving birth to Rowan, Shields started having problems with caring for the baby and herself (311). A couple weeks after giving birth, she went to a doctor and was diagnosed with Postpartum depression (307).

Shields recovered from her postpartum depression in many ways. She entertained herself and the baby by taking daily walks with family, close friends, or a nurse to keep both Rowan and Shields active (Shields 314). She went to several doctors to find someone to help her with medication. After asking for help, Shields was directed to a pharma-psychologist for medication and was assigned a nurse to help monitor her health and the baby's health (312). Taking medication such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and an alternative treatment, yoga helped her become healthy and happy again (Rosenberg 133).

Talking about a disorder that is not talked about a lot can bring attention to people. Shields became famous for part of that reason. This included doing several Broadway plays during her lifetime and during her pregnancy (Shields 316). She also wrote several books about postpartum depression and about her life story that included her experience with the disorder (316). These efforts have influenced and brought light to postpartum depression in different ways. She has written several books, including Down Came The Rain, and several others (316). These books shared her view and story as she was threatened by this disorder and her recovery from it (316).

In summary, postpartum depression might not be talked about that often even though it is an important thing to discuss. It affects millions of mothers throughout the world. Brooke Shields brought this disorder more into the light and the talk about disabilities. Shields was very courageous about sharing her experience and story through postpartum depression.