Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common problem associated with
childbirth.
PPD is characterized by depression that a
woman experiences within four
weeks of childbirth.
PPD can affect as many as 10% of new fathers.
Biological, psychological, and social factors play roles in predisposing
women to develop postpartum depression.
There is no one test that definitively indicates that someone has PPD.
Treatment options for PPD include illness education, support groups,
psychotherapy, and/or medication. Particular care is taken when considering
medication given the potential risks of exposing an infant to the medications
through breastfeeding.
Women who have suffered from postpartum depression are much more likely to
have depression again sometime in the future. Children of a mother or father
with PPD are at risk for emotional challenges.
Intensive nursing intervention can help prevent the development of
postpartum depression.
What is postpartum depression? Are there different types of postpartum
depression?
Postpartum depression is the most common problem associated with childbirth.
It has been described as afflicting prominent historical figures like
author/suffragist Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the 19th century. This illness is
characterized by depression that a woman experiences within four weeks of
childbirth, affecting about 13% of women who give birth. Postpartum depression
occurs after one out of every eight deliveries in the United States, affecting
about half a million women every year. Postpartum depression is also called
major depression with postpartum onset. Delusional thinking after childbirth,
called postpartum psychosis, affects about one in every thousand women.
Notably, postpartum depression is not an illness that is exclusive to
mothers. Fathers can experience it as well. In fact, it can affect as many as
10% of new fathers. As with women, symptoms in men can result in fathers having
difficulty caring for themselves and for their children when suffering from
postpartum depression.
Unfortunately, up to 50% of individuals with postpartum depression or
postpartum psychosis are never detected. That can result in devastating outcomes
for the patient and family. For example, postpartum psychosis is thought to have
been a potential factor in Andrea Yates drowning her five children in 2001 and
was explored as a factor in Susan Smith drowning her two sons.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
There are many symptoms involved in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. The first early pregnancy symptom is typically a missed period, but others include breast swelling and tenderness, nausea and sometimes vomiting, fatigue and bloating. Second trimester symptoms include backache, weight gain, itching, and possible stretch marks. Third trimester symptoms are additional weight gain, heartburn, hemorrhoids, swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face, breast tenderness, and trouble sleeping. Read more to learn about recommended procedures and tests for each stage of a healthy pregnancy.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Panic attacks are sudden feelings of terror that strike without warning. These episodes can occur at any time, even during sleep. A person experiencing a panic attack may believe that he or she is having a heart attack or that death is imminent. The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack are not in proportion to the true situation and may be unrelated to what is happening around them. Most people with panic attacks experience several of the following symptoms: racing heartbeat, faintness, dizzyness, numbness or tingling in the hands and fingers, chills, chest pains, difficulty breathing, and a feeling of loss or control. There are several treatments for panic attacks.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
Bipolar disorder (or manic depression) is a mental illness characterized by depression, mania, and severe mood swings. Treatment may incorporate mood stabilizer medications, antidepressants, and psychotherapy.
Hypothyroidism during pregnancy can be treated with synthetic thyroid hormones to maintain the proper thyroid hormone balance. Hypothyroidism symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, lethargy, and constipation. Treatment of hypothyroidism in pregnant women is important, because inadequate levels of thyroid hormones may affect the fetus, and child during growth and development.
It's important to know whether you will breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby prior to delivery, as the breasts' ability to produce milk diminishes soon after childbirth without the stimulation of breastfeeding. Breast milk is easily digested by babies and contains infection-fighting antibodies and cholesterol, which promotes brain growth. Formula-fed babies actually need to eat somewhat less often since formula is less readily digested by the baby than human milk. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of feeding.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is considered to be a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMDD has also been referred to as late luteal phase dysphoric disorder. The cause of PMDD is unknown. Some of the common symptoms of PMDD (not an inclusive list) include: mood swings, bloating, fatigue, headache, irritability, headache, breast tenderness, acne, hot flashes and more. Treatment for PMDD is with medication to treat the symptoms of PMDD.
Pregnancy planning is important to help prevent exposure of the mother and fetus to potentially harmful medications and substances during the early days, and throughout the pregnancy. Nutritional planning, prevention of birth defects, conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease need careful monitoring. Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and pregnancy induced hypertension are conditions that may arise during pregnancy. Immunizations, inherited disorders, exercise, air travel, intercourse, and birth control are important factors to consider when planning a pregnancy.
Women's health is an important topic area to guide a woman through the stages of her life, as well as knowing the conditions and diseases that may occur. Educating yourself so that the transitions into different phases of life is key to a healthy, happy, and productive life.
Taking prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs or supplements should be discussed with your doctor. There are some medications that have been found to cause no problems in pregnancy, however, medications such as Accutane for acne, should never be taken during pregnancy.
Psychotherapy is often the first form of treatment recommended for
depression. Called "therapy" for short, the word psychotherapy actually involves
a variety of treatment techniques. During psychotherapy, a person with
depression talks to a licensed and trained mental healthcare professional who
helps him or her identify and work through the factors that may be causing their
depressiondepression.
Sometimes these factors work in combination with heredity or chemical
imbalances in the brain to trigger depression. Taking care of the psychological
and psychosocial aspects of depression is important.
How Does Psychotherapy Help Depression?
Psychotherapy helps people with depression:
Understand the behaviors, emotions, and ideas that contribute to his or
her depression.
Understand and identify the life problems or events -- like a major
illness, a death in the fam...
Depression RSS
Healthy Living Tips
This site complies with the