How to Support Someone With Postpartum Depression

Depression is a debilitating illness that can cause a patient to degenerate into thoughts of suicide. There are certain life factors that act as triggers of postpartum depression, and a lack of support is one of them. In order for a patient to deal with this illness successfully, she will need as much support as possible. There are several ways to help a new mother through postpartum depression. Read on to learn more about how to support someone with postpartum depression.

Instructions

• 1

  Encourage the new mother to join a support group. One factor that contributes to postpartum depression is a feeling of inadequacy as a mother. Being able to hear how other people in the group are dealing with being new parents may help her deal with this aspect of postpartum depression.

• 2

  Encourage your loved one to talk about her feelings. In earlier times, postpartum depression was not recognized by medical society, causing the general public to disregard it. The lack of recognition also caused victims of this disease to bottle up their emotions, which worsened the symptoms of postpartum depression.

• 3

  Offer to help with daily activities or errands when the new mother is feeling down. Two of the symptoms of postpartum depression, lack of motivation and extreme fatigue, make it difficult for victims of this illness to deal with regular activities.

• 4

  Help the new mother with looking after the baby. New infants require a lot of attention, something that someone with postpartum depression may have difficulty providing. Offer to help with the nighttime feeding, so that the mother can get a good night's sleep. One of the symptoms of postpartum depression is a problem with sleeping.

• 5

  Ensure that your loved one is looking after herself. She will need to take any medication prescribed for her. If she is seeing a counselor or attending group therapy, she will also need to keep the appointments.

• 6

  Obtain "This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression" by Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin available on Amazon. See the Resources section below for a link. Reading up on postpartum depression can help you to understand and support your loved one.