Except for timing, whats the difference between postpartum depression and ordinary clinical depression?
Experts aren’t sure, but postpartum depression seems to follow a more erratic course, with a mix of good and bad days and an especially strong link with anxiety and physical complaints such as headache, says psychiatric specialist Rex Gentry. What causes postpartum mood disorders? Hormonal changes play a part. During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone soar to many times their normal levels — only to plummet immediately after delivery. But fathers and adoptive parents can develop postpartum mood disorders, too, so hormones aren’t the whole answer. Other factors may include sleep deprivation, dashed expectations, a family history of depression, lack of social support and even the baby’s temperament. What causes postpartum panic attacks? One explanation is a surge in the stress hormone adrenaline, coupled with the brain’s lowered tolerance for stimulation in the weeks after childbirth. Gentry said new parents typically have four to five times their normal sensitivity to sound, which he
