Posts Tagged ‘Depression’

Postpartum Depression

Postnatal depression is another clinical term used for the disease, which is comparatively less frequent in men. Women suffer from this disease in first few months after the delivery of a child.

Patients suffer from psychological symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, emotional outbursts, feeling of loneliness etc. Most of the times women who suffer from this disease ignore treatment or clinical consultation which may lead to severe mental imbalance. Lack of vitamins can be a cause for this disease. Hormonal changes during pregnancy are also responsible for this psychological imbalance. But this is not the only factor responsible because hormonal medicinal treatment cannot help in such cases. Family members and group can help the patient to come out of this disease. Psychiatric treatment and clinical consultation is the right way to fight it.

Patients of this disease suffer from many mental problems like low self esteem, lack of confidence, fatigue, short temperedness, and frequent outburst of emotions, sessions of crying, irritability, sleeplessness, and feeling of loneliness, severe and continuous headache.

“Baby Blues “is a common emotional imbalance faced by many women after birth of child. Low mood and spirit is a sign of “Baby Blues.”  This mental state is sometimes found in fathers too.

The change in schedule, lack of sleep, responsibility of a newborn baby etc. are some causes behind “Baby Blues”  it is not considered a serious mental disorder as it prolongs for some weeks and proper rest, balanced diet, adequate sleep, support of friends and family can help in this case.

Postpartum depression is a serious mental disease because it harms body too. If proper treatment is not available at right time, it may have severe consequences for the patient.

Childcare stress, prenatal anxiety, habit of smoking, single parenthood, socio-economical problems and unplanned pregnancy etc. are some harmful factors responsible for this disease.

Formula of feeding is also a cause to depress women in first few days of their maternity.  History of depression is also a major cause behind postpartum depression. Sometimes it could be a hereditary disease so such so that patients have to be careful in the period of their pregnancy.

Prenatal depression can also co-relate to postpartum depression. Problems in holding pregnancy, severe stomach aches, lack of vitamins, deprived care and attention, unwanted pregnancy are the causes for prenatal depression. Such patients develop a tendency to hate the newborn baby. They neglect breastfeeding the newborn infants. It causes many physical problems too.

Lack of social support may lead this disease to become a serious long-lasting mental imbalance.

Psychiatric treatment and counseling sessions can help in recovery. Sometimes, depression pills are also prescribed for fast recovery. Balanced food habits, affectionate surrounding of friends and family, proper sleeping hours, meditation, healthy relationship with your partner, proper habits of caring and feeding baby etc. can make your lifestyle a happy one. Proper parental help in babysitting too helps a lot in this regard.

Becoming a mother is a divine bliss of Mother Nature. Accept it with proper care and a great joy! Have a happy maternity!!!

Psychology Of Women: Part Ii – Self-Attribution, Cognitive Distortions And Depression

Cognitive Distortions

       What is the difference between Mrs. A‘s response according to first and second combination of cognitive perceptions of self-attribution? Why did in the first combination of cognitive perceptions of self-attribution, Mrs. A attributed and compounded all blame to herself (internal)? But why in the second combination of cognitive perceptions of self-attribution, Mrs. A attributed it to Ms. B and Mr. A (external)? The answer lies in what is called “cognitive distortions” (Beck, 1967). What are cognitive distortions? And what are the types of cognitive distortions found in depressed persons?

            Errors in reasoning.

            Cognitive distortions are basically “errors in reasoning” (Beck, 1967). Were there errors in reasoning in the first combination of cognitive perceptions of self-attribution? The answer is an emphatic, yes! In fact, there were several errors in reasoning in the first combination of cognitive perceptions of self-attribution. Firstly, Mrs. A’s self blame was erroneous, as the blame should be on Mr. A and Ms. B. Secondly, Mrs. A’s subjective view of her physical and sexual deficits were erroneous, as the physical and sexual deficit could be alterable (unstable), untrue or unjustifiable. There could many other reasons why Mr. A was attracted to having an affair with Ms. B. Thirdly, basing on the erroneous view of her physical and sexual deficits, to attribute Mr. A’s infidelity as naturally predictable (uncontrollable) is erroneous. The third reasoning is erroneous because it based on the second reasoning which is erroneous. The third reasoning is also erroneous because Mr. A is individually, cognitively, morally and lawfully responsible for his decisions and actions. Are there other forms of cognitive distortions? Yes, there are, as will be discussed in the types of cognitive distortions.

            Types of cognitive distortions.

            Sharf (2000) gives a list of other forms of cognitive distortions that depressed persons may experience and display. Here are descriptive examples of them.

1. Dichotomous thinking

Example:  My husband must love me a hundred percent, or else he doesn’t love me.

Problem: Thinking in absolutes, black or white and with no provision for grey areas in life. Every thing is either positive or negative, which is totally unrealistic perspective of life.

Solution: The promotion of thinking in a synthesis form that includes black, white and grey, would assist the person with realistic thinking. For in life not everything is in absolutes.

2. Selective abstractions

Example: My boyfriend failed me this year, because out of fifteen years of celebrating my birthday grandly, he forgot to get my favorite wine brand in this year.

Problem: A person with this distortion would extract one item, fact, event and behavior from a group of items, facts, events or behaviors to amplify and use it to initiate, create precedence or justify their decision or action.

Solution: Promotion of thinking telescopically (big picture) before micro-scoping (details) in the examination of facts, events or behaviors, would paint a more holistic picture in life.

3. Arbitrary inferences involve two types of erroneous thinking, namely, “mind reading” and “negative prediction”.

For mind reading

Example: My lover doesn’t love me anymore because she didn’t smile at me today.

Problem: This type of thinking involves the assumption of another person’s thinking, action, or behavior, and treating that assumption as a proven fact and basing one’s thinking, decision, action and behavior on the assumed fact.

Solution: The consideration of alternatives, other concrete and realistic facts besides the sensory perceptions or emotional displays of a person would assist in a better evaluation of someone’s thinking, action, or behavior.

For negative prediction

Example: A woman while making love passionately to her husband thinks, my husband is going to leave me.

Problem: This type of thinking involves prediction of conclusions, outcomes or results with no provision for tentativeness. The prediction is considered an absolute certainty.

Solution:  Persons with this cognitive distortion should be assisted to include tentative predictions rather than absolute predictive conclusions.  As long as something is predictive, there can’t be absolute certainty of outcome.

4. Catastrophizing

Example: I don’t know how to dance. My boyfriend is going to dump me.

Problem: This type of thinking paints the worst scenario from the most trivial events, matters, actions or behaviors. It can turn a quarrel into a war.

Solution: Persons with these cognitive distortions should be taught to consider the details of their worries within the context of the issue at hand. If it is a quarrel, then it is not a war.

5. Overgeneralization

Example: Since I am a bad at grilling fish, all my other dishes in are going to be a fiasco.

Problem: This type of cognitive distortions uses past actions, behaviors or events, to predict similar future actions, behavior or events without collaborative evidence.

Solutions: Persons with these cognitive distortions should be taught to learn from the past actions, behaviors or events, to improve the future actions, behaviors or events, and not expect the future to repeat the past.

6. Labeling and mislabeling

Example: I am a bitch because during my drunkenness, I made a pass at my best friend’s boyfriend.

Problem: This type of cognitive distortions that labels oneself or others rather than the inappropriate actions, behaviors or events. It mixes the actions with the person. The drunkard behavior may be bitchy but that doesn’t make the woman a bitch.

Solution:Persons with these cognitive distortions should be taught to label the inappropriate actions, behaviors or events, and not the persons.

7. Magnification or minimization

Example: I didn’t kiss my husband today; my love life is going to shit. My husband held me tightly and whispered his passionate love for me, but I feel that it is not as romantic as when it happened on our first date.

Problem:This type of cognitive distortionsviews the positive actions, behaviors or events as trivial, while viewing the negative as catastrophic.

Solutions: Persons with these cognitive distortions should be taught to view actions, behaviors or events in their perspective, without changing filters to suit their emotions.

8. Personalization

Example: It rains whenever my boyfriend asks me for a date. I am always the cause of delays in any of our trips

Problem: This type of cognitive distortionspersonalizes an external negative actions, behaviors or events to oneself without a reason.

Solutions: Persons with these cognitive distortions should be taught to accept what are truly their responsibilities and reject what are not their responsibilities.

Too frequent display any of the above cognitive distortions is an indicator of psychological distress that may lead to disorders (Sharf, 2000). Thus, it is wise to examine our pattern of thinking for cognitive distortions, especially during bouts of depression. So how can a person avoid these pitfalls between negative self-attribution, cognitive distortions and depression? One suggestion is the practice of positive self-attribution as outlined below.

Positive Self-Attribution

          In practicing positive self-attribution for the avoidance of long term and chronic depressions are as follows:

Why deliberately and conscientiously? The reason is because sometimes cognitive distortions are so automatic, that one is unaware of its happening.
Always (if needing to attribute) attribute the positive behaviors or events (self or others) internally (to self). It leads to positive emotions (Working Resources, 1996-2009). Why, it is stated as “if needing to attribute”, the reason being sometimes, self attribution is not needed at all. For an example, when someone else does well or is successful, the credit should go to that person.

Always avoid attributing negative events or behaviors (self or others) internally (to self), or never consider the cause(s) of the negative events or behaviors as unalterable (stability), or as inevitable (uncontrollable), – instead always look for options, alternatives, possible solutions or answers. What if an authority or an expert (i.e., a judge in a legal context) pronounces that you (internal) are responsible for a negative event or behavior? When negative events or behaviors (self or others) have been seemingly proven and attributed by an authority or an expert; then the following would be the suggestion.

4.      When a person have been attributed with a negative event or behavior (self or others), which has been proven, and when a justified penalty (as in legal cases) has been imposed, that penalty can then be accepted as a form of correction, atonement, compensation, or as an opportunity to make things right. Acceptance of a just penalty rather avoidance through an erroneous attribution, would lessen any depression felt by a person affected by the penalty. The reason being, this form of acceptance of a just penalty is psychologically a forgiveness of oneself or self-forgiveness (Wohl & Thompson, 2006).

Conclusion

Avoid Negative Self-Attribution, Monitor for Cognitive Distortions

Practice Positive Self-Attributions

For a Physical and Psychological Wellbeing

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 REFERENCES

Abramson, L.Y., Alloy, I.B. & Metalsky, J.I. (1995). Hopelessness depression. In J.N. Buchanan & M.E.P. Seligman (Eds.), Explanatory style (pp. 113-134). Hillsdale, NJ: Erbaum.

Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, Experimental, and theoretical aspects. New York: Hoeber.

Evans, R., & Tait, L.H. (1991). Applying Psychology in Today’s World: Strategies for Personal Growth, Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632.

Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.Jones, E. F., & Davies, K. (1965). From acts to dispositions: The attribution process in person perceptions. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.) Advances in experimental Social Psychology, (Vol. 2). New York: Academic Press.

Kelley, H.H. (1967). The warm-cold dimensions in first impressions of persons. Journal of Personality, 18, 431-439.

Riso, L. P., du Toit, P.L., Blandino, J.A., Penna, S., Dacey, S., Duin, J. S., Pacoe, E.M., Grant, M.M.., & Ulmer, C.S. (2003). Cognitive aspects of chronic depression. Journal of abnormal Psychology, 112(1), 72-80.

Sharf, R. S. (2000). Theories of Psychotherapy & Counseling: Concepts and Cases, (2nd Ed.). Wadsworth. Brooks/Cole Counseling: Belmont, CA 94002-3098, United States.

Weiten, W., & Lloyd, M. A. (2006). Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century, Thomson Wadsworth: Canada.

Wohl, M. J. A., & Thompson, A. (2006). Hindering the process of behavioural change: The relationship between self-forgiveness and smoking cessation. Unpublished manuscript, Carleton University.

Working Resources (1996-2009). The Art of Positive Emotions: What Is Your Attribution Style? Retrieved October 22, 2009, fromWorking Resources website:http://dwp.bigplanet.com/workingresources/professionaleffectivenessarticles/article.nhtml?uid=10005

Assemblymember Pedro Nava Launches Perinatal Depression Awareness Month

(Sacramento) Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) and the State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) of the Junior Leagues of California were joined by representatives from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office; the Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force and Postpartum Support International to launch the first annual Perinatal Depression Awareness Month. Assemblymember Nava successfully authored ACR 105 this year to proclaim the month of May every year as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month. Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) are a significant health issue and need to be taken seriously, said Nava. These disorders impact 1 in 8 women. Heres more in this Assembly Access video.

Women and Depression: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Depression and women are closely related to each other. Depression in women is undeniable. Depression as a disease affects almost 10 percent of women.

It hampers the social, personal and professional life of women. Women tend to suffer from depression twice as more as their men counterpart. These kind of depressions are a great risk to the mental health, especially among young women. It mainly happens in women as they are in general more emotional than their male counterpart. They pile up loads of emotions in their mind without venting them.

Symptoms

There are several symptoms which can predict whether a woman is under depression or not. When depressed she does not find any interest in activities she enjoyed before. She starts blaming herself for everything and can also have suicidal tendencies. She may feel unwanted.

Depression is usually accompanied with disturbed sleep, change in diet, low concentration and difficulty decision making, impatience and irritation and weakness.

Causes of depression

Women generally suffer from similar kind of depressions. Some of them are explained by the experts as psychological, biological, social causes:

Biological causes include the problem of premenstrual problem such as itchiness, bloating, weakness etc which disturbs their lives. Problem of pregnancy and unproductiveness, issues like unwanted pregnancy, or miscarriage can lead to depression. Some women suffer from the postpartum depression when they experience baby blues.

Social causes include the problem of role strain which means playing different roles at same time, physical and mental abuse, lack of status and power in society, dissatisfaction in relationships and poverty.

Psychological causes include the problem of coping mechanism, stress response, puberty and body image which creates depression in women.

Women suffering from medical illness unable to fulfill her physical needs can result in depression. Any kind of financial crises, imbalance in relationships or any stressful act leads to depressive disorder.

Besides this there are other types of depression which include major depression – the most common depressive disorder. Less severe depressive disorder is dysthymia. Another type of depression is manic-depressive illness which is not very common.

Treatments available

Various treatments are available for depressions, which include Antidepressant medications, Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), Psychotherapy.

Women should consult a doctor about the cause of their depression. Birth control medicines and hormone substitution therapy are also very effective in solving your biological problems.

Interpersonal therapy and cognitive-behavior therapy are really effective in improving personal relationship and making them healthy. This reduces the creation of negative thoughts in your mind.

Women suffering from depression must try and be practical. Don’t let negative thoughts come to the mind and make sue you get proper treatment. Go for physical examinations. Make sure you exercise regularly as exercise is the best medicine for your depression.

They tend to flush out your negative radiations and give you positive vibes. Taking regular well balanced nutritious diet also helps in lowering down the depression level. If you are suffering from depression don’t wait to act.

The Effects of Postpartum Depression and the Monster It Is

One in ten women suffer from Postpartum Depression after childbirth. The effects of postpartum depression can be very severe and is not the same as having baby blues, which is a typical reaction to child birth. The symptoms of Postpartum depression include:

# Sluggishness

# Fatigue

# Exhaustion

# Feelings of hopelessness or depression

# Disturbances with appetite and sleep

# Confusion

# Uncontrollable crying

# Lack of interest in the baby

# Fear of harming the baby or oneself

# Mood swings

Studies clearly show that the effects of Postpartum depression are an indication of the risk factors for a child’s intellectual, social, and cognitive development.

Infants as young as three months of age are able to detect the moods displayed by their mothers and modify their own moods in response. It also can have long lasting, traumatic effects on a woman’s confidence in herself as a mother, which in turn can effect her parenting skills.

Children whose mothers suffered postpartum depression after childbirth face a greater risk of violent behavior by the time they reach the age of 11. The violent behavior among such children is especially high if their mothers suffered repeated bouts of depression.

Compared to their peers,these children have more diverse and severe aggressive behavior. Male children are more prone to violent behavior than female children.

The link between a child’s violent behavior and the mother’s postpartum depression is associated with the children’s problems in regulating their attention and emotions. Their cognitive skills, expressive language development and their attention span difficulties have been adversely affected by maternal depression.

There is little biological basis identifiable for postpartum depression. The occurrence may be increased in certain risk groups including women with a previous history of depressive disorder, complications during delivery, and some other obstetric factors.

Some of the psychological stressors consistently associated with postpartum depression include unemployment, marital conflict and lack of personal support from family and friends. But here again, the strongest association appears to be with women who have suffered previous depression.

These findings emphasize the importance of early detection and treatment of postpartum depression by family physicians. A woman’s level of exhaustion and irritability when her infant is two weeks old and nursing frequently may not be normal when her baby is four months old and sleeping soundly through the night.

The intensity and degree of a woman’s coping response may also indicate a pathological state. Loss of energy and diminished concentration are frequently the result of sleep deprivation. However, for a postpartum woman to have no energy or to have such difficulty in concentrating that she frequently loses her train of thought or has considerable difficulty making decisions is not normal.

The effects of postpartum depression can cause significant problems in both mothers and fathers in the United States and around the world.

Depression During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the happiest phase of some women life but for some women it is a phase of fear and fright. Normally twenty percent of the women during pregnancy suffers from the common but normal depression symptoms. But some women suffers from major depression during pregnancy. Depression is a mood disorder that effects almost every women in their life. So it is not an issue of surprise if a pregnant women suffers from this disease. But the main problem is that women not go to the doctors during pregnancy for the treatment of depression. It is a danger sign for both the baby and the mother. Because they consider it as a part of other hormonal changes occurring in them during pregnancy. Depression during pregnancy is also known as antepartum depression. It is a mood disorder which is same like clinical depression. Pregnant women suffering from depression can have the following symptoms: 

Less sleep or some time more sleep than usual.

Sudden change in eating habits

Thoughts of suicide.

Lack or difficulty in concentration.

The cause of depression in pregnant

women are as follows:

Problems in relationships

Treatment of fertility

Family history of depression

Complications in pregnancy

If Depression is left untreated then it can cause problems to both the mother and the baby. Because of depression a pregnant women can indulge in smoking, drinking etc. Depression can cause poor nutrition to both the baby and the mother which can lead to the premature birth of the baby. The new born baby can be under weight because of poor nutrition. so a pregnant women suffering from depression must be treated as soon as possible. She need to visit a doctor for the treatment. The doctor can suggest any of the following treatment depending upon the condition of the women.

Light Therapy

Medication 

support group 

Psychotherapy 

If the depression in the women is severe then medication treatment is preferred. Only those medicines are prescribed which have minimum side effects otherwise it can cause complications during pregnancy and delivery. If you are unable to discuss your problem with the doctor frankly then you can choose any other person who is aware of your situation and showing any interest to help you.

Depression is a mental disorder which effects the life of an individual but if a pregnant woman suffers from Depression then the life become miserable. So take Depression help as soon as possible

so that it can be treated as early as possible.

Depression And Back Pain Problems

Back pain includes depression, which emerges from fractures. Fractures include pathologic, complete/incomplete, avulsion, comminuted, depressed, compression, and oblique, greenstick, simple, compound, spiral, and transverse. The conditions noted in hip fractures include intracapsular, Intertrochanteric, and extracapsular.

Each problem rests within the blood vessels, yet it starts with fractures. Blood vessels make up the arteries, capillary, and veins. As you can see chest pain can lead to back pain, since the blood vessels travel. Overexerting the bones can cause fractures, which lead to depression and related symptoms.

In fact, damage here may derive from osteomyelitis, Cushing’s syndrome, bone tumors, aging, malnutrition, immobility, multiple myeloma, osteoporosis, trauma impacts, and so on. Fractures can lead to serious back pain. When fractures break the bones, it affects the bone covering known as penosteum. The covering is transparent and has a rich outlay of neurons. Fractures often are caused by trauma impacts, such as car accidents, falls from horses, etc.

The signs:

If neurological conditions are, involved the patient will feel toe numbness. The legs and feet may feel weak. Abolish reflexes are reduced if the fracture is at the lower region of the back. Muscle spasms and muscle reflexes often occur at the higher area of the back. If you have such fracture, bed rest is recommended to reduce the pain. If acute back conditions exist, experts will need to assess the problem. Broken back is an acute condition, which you should avoid rolling, or logrolling.

Fractures include the stable and unstable breaks. If the fracture is unstable, it can severely damage the spine. In such case, the doctor will surgically correct the problem or recommend that the patient wear a cast. The damage can tear the nerves. If you feel you have broken your back, you are wise to avoid atypical movement, since it will progress the problem when pressure is applied to the area.

If the fracture is spontaneous, the doctor can help minimize the pain by prescribing a brace. You will need to avoid applying weight to the area where the fracture rests. Bad falls can break the coccyx, which can sit in coccygodynia. Below the triangular bones at the lower back and near the baseline of the spinal column, the hips are joined with bones that set on either side and form parts that connect to the pelvis. (Sacrum) This area joins with five merging bones, which are fused with the sacrum and is commonly known as the coccyx.

Fractures emerging from the coccyx may include bruising of the periosteum, which is treated by steroid injections. Periosteum is a membrane, which the connective’ tissues meticulously empower each bone within the skeletal structure, excluding the articular exteriors.

Fractures can also invent bursitis. When one of the bursa is disrupted it will inflame, swell, and cause pain. The problem emerges from friction. Friction is often increased when bursitis starts, since instead of separating particular tissues, the fluids emerging from bursa stand in the way. Bursitis includes obturator internis, trochanteric, and ischial. Bursa conditions such as the named rest near the buttocks, lower back, and hip.

To avoid bursitis you may want to avoid sitting, standing, or lying in one position at all times. Instead, shift your resting states. Doctors will often inject a mixture of anesthetic lidocaine and steroids to correct bursitis.

In addition to fractures and bursitis, back pain can start from gynecological conditions. The condition is related to reproductive organs and disease. Females are the prime targets who experience pain from this condition. The condition causes pain, swelling, and inflammation. The condition will affect the spinal cord.