Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders refer to a group of mental health conditions that occur during pregnancy and the first year after giving birth. Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth. These disorders are more intense than the “baby blues,” which describes the common fatigue, sadness and worrying of new mothers after giving birth. Postpartum depression is the most common PMAD, but other examples include perinatal panic disorder, perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder, postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder, perinatal bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis.
Nearly one in seven new mothers experience significant symptoms of postpartum depression and other PMADs. Common symptoms of mothers experiencing such disorders include anger, sadness, irritability, guilt, withdrawal from loved ones, feeling distant from the baby, anxiety and sometimes thoughts of harming the baby or herself. Symptoms may first present themselves during pregnancy as well as after childbirth.
North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center offers the Diane Goldberg Maternal Depression Program, which provides rapid response and diagnosis for mothers suffering from maternal postpartum depression and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. For more information about our services, please call us at 516-626-1971.
Related programs:
Diane Goldberg Maternal Depression Program
Read more in our blog:
When It’s More Than the Average Baby Blues
Katherine’s Story: Healing from Postpartum Depression
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