can anyone explain the difference between PND and depression

[bigwellylittlewelly]

Too much background shit but I've had a MH assessment and told I have depression. I have been told to get a GP to prescribe antidepressants but was told to specifically mention that despite having a ypung baby this is not PND.

What would be the difference? I'm concerned about taking deugs as have a low tolerance usually and don't handle nausea well at all but recognise I can't continue like this.

Thanks

PND is specifically caused by pregnancy and childbirth, and many doctors believe it is hormonal in cause, whereas clinical depression is thought to be due to a lack of a particular chemical in your brain - serotonin. Many antidepressants are SSRIs - selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors - to make sure you aren't re-absorbing the serotonin you have.

PND usually lifts in a year or so, whereas clinical depression may need longer therapy.

I had both - PND and clinical depression which wasn't diagnosed until after my three bouts of PND. I did take antidepressants, and I think they are good drugs - I wouldn't be here without them. But what helped me the most has been a 2.5 year course of group psychotherapy. Basically, the ADs kept me going, and kept me out of the lowest pit of depression until I coiled get the therapy.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is also very highly recommended by lots of people, and it is usually a much shorter duration than group therapy.

I can absolutely understand why you don't want to be one the drugs, especially if you are very sensitive to drugs, but there are other options, that your doctor should discuss with you. My layman's opinion would be that the drugs could be very useful to get you out of the worst of things, with the aim of getting you to one of the talking therapies to help you heal. Also, if one AD causes nausea, another one might not - and if they make you feel better, lift your mood, it might be worth it.

St Johns Wort can help in milder cases of depression.

Have you got support around you - people you can talk to, people who will listen uncritically, non-judgementally? Who will give you physical support - help with the baby, making sure you are eating properly, drinking enough, and getting enough rest?

{{{hugs}}} - and congratulations on your new baby.

My understanding is that PND will only be diagnosed during the postnatal period (ie. 12 months following birth) if there's no other underlying conditions.

For example, I have bipolar disorder therefore the depression that I suffered following my children's births was classed as bipolar and not PND.

My understanding is that PND will only be diagnosed during the postnatal period (ie. 12 months following birth) if there's no other underlying conditions.

For example, I have bipolar disorder therefore the depression that I suffered following my children's births was classed as bipolar and not PND.

PND is depression which starts in the first year after birth. Perhaps what the person you saw meant was that in their opinion your depression began before you had the baby, so isn't PND? If you have a history of depression the post-natal period can be quite a vulnerable time. For instance, you might have been managing your mood OK with careful routines, regular exercise and so on but all of that is hard if not impossible to maintain with a newborn baby.

Btw, I had severe PND but was treated and have (largely) recovered without ADs, as I can't take them. So it is possible. I focused on sleep, diet and exercise, and also saw both a clinical psychologist (on my own) and a mother-infant specialist therapist (with my baby) regularly for six months or so.

Bigwellylittlewelly - how are you today?

How old so your baby? I guess the age of baby and your information at assessment will have helped them with diagnosis. There are lots of different medication out there and the first ones they tend to use should be ok for many people but worth asking to start on a low dose.

Hey, thanks for asking.
I am on autopilot. I run my day by milestones of feeding and naps. I feel like I have lost my higher level of thought processes, that everything is numb, I can't concentrate or focus. I had no baby blues, no happiness no sadness despite being quite poorly after a CS I desperately didn't want for DC2, this was due to DC1 suffering massive brain damage in a bad delivery and untreated PTSD and a lack of support for a normal delivery. I had to also have second baby in same unit as first baby.

have some good coping mechanisms and thank god baby sleeps 9-7am. DH sends me to bed at 9.30-10pm every night. I have a list book where I write down what I have to do every day, what needs to be packed in the children's bags (3yo and 3mo), what I pack for a picnic, what I pack for the beach or playground etc.

DH has agreed to up the nursery hours to three days and I have a homestart volunteer one morning a week. I have two days atm of childcare for older child (CP, development delay and seizure disorder) and I meet friends one day to drink coffee and talk about baby crap and the other day to clean house.

I go back to work in a few months. I haave absolutely no idea how I will cope.

Don't go back if you are not ready - your GP will sign you off.

I would encourage you to try the ADs - I think they saved my life, and enabled me to get through the worst of things. But I also think the talking therapies are the real key to healing - cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy, group therapy, whatever - and for many people I know, including me, ADs made it possible me to do these therapies.

I have to go back - non negotiable!

The person I saw said that CBT won't work but she has recommended art therapy instead

Art therapy sounds like a fantastic idea - not least because it is something you can carry on by yourself in between sessions. In fact, I used to belong to an art class, and the sense of achievement I got, plus the pleasure of seeing all the lovely pictures everyone else painted (and the colours - I am a strong believer in colour lifting the spirit) really benefited me.

I don't go to the art class any more (I was the class treasurer, and it all got too stressful, so I quit - but I still have all my art stuff to use at home) - but I go to a weekly knitting group - which gives me a lot of the same things - the sense of achievement when I finish something, the joy of seeing other people's creations, and the sheer pleasure of the colours and textures of the yarns. I also go to a felt making group, which does a lot of the same things (but meets only monthly). Sometimes I still have to force myself out of the door to go to these things, but I know I benefit greatly when I do.

Something I have got into recently is an artform called Zentangle - which is marketed in the states as a form of therapy - hence the zen part of the name. It is a form of doodling, basically - you fill shapes with smaller, repeated patterns, and supposedly the act of doing this focuses your mind, helps you clear it, and gets you into a meditative state. The nice thing for me is that anyone can do it - anyone can doodle, and all you need is a bit of paper and a pen or pencil to get going. There are YouTube tutorials, and lots of step-by-step how-to pictures online - especially on sites like Pinterest.

The other good thing about these tangles is that you can do very small ones, so they only take a few minutes - which is far easier to find the time and motivation for - and at the end, you have a little art work all of your own.