Postpartum Depression

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Pregnancy is usually a joyous occasion but all too often, postpartum depression has led to negative outcomes for all involved and must be seen as a grave mental disorder (Camp, 2013). It is important to be able to differentiate between baby blues and postpartum depression. Baby blues occur within the first couple of days to weeks of the child being born (Ohara & Mccabe, 2013). Postpartum depression has the capability of being a debilitating disorder that not only affects the mother but also the father and the child. With little known as to what causes postpartum depression, there are tools and screenings that are available that may help to identify someone at risk. With postpartum depression affecting 10-20% of mothers roughly, it is important to understand how to manage and treat it (Lind, Richter, Craft, & Shapiro, 2017). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been implemented and used in practice to help health care providers address the issue. This standardized screening uses a scoring system that is able to quantify if the mother requires further targeted care (Lind, Richter, Craft, & Shapiro, 2017). Nursing is often a multifaceted profession that helps to meet the needs of many different types of patients. Often people don’t identify mental illness as a serious disorder but with appropriate education and teaching, nurses will be able to better provide these patients with the most adequate care. It is always important to assess the patient and surrounding issues, provide necessary assistance, give appropriate and necessary recommendations, and offer encouragement as needed.