The key difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues is that postpartum depression is a mood disorder usually associated with childbirth and can affect both sexes, while postpartum blues is a mood disorder that affects only mothers shortly after childbirth.
Mood disorder is also known as affective disorder. It is any of a group of medical conditions of mental and behavioural nature. The main underlying feature of mood disorder is the disturbance in the person’s mood. There are several groups of mood disorders. Postpartum depression and postpartum blues are two types of mood disorders specifically associated with childbirth.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Postpartum Depression
3. What is Postpartum Blues
4. Similarities – Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues
5. Postpartum Depression vs Postpartum Blues in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Postpartum Depression vs Postpartum Blues
What is Postpartum Depression?
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder usually associated with childbirth and can affect both sexes. The symptoms of PPD can occur anytime in the first year postpartum. The symptoms of postpartum depression include persistent sadness, severe mood swings, frustration, irritability, restlessness, anger, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, guilt, shame, worthlessness, emptiness, exhaustion, inability to bond with the baby, suicidal thoughts, lack of interest, low libido, changes in the appetite, fatigue, decreased energy, poor self-care, social withdrawal, insomnia or excessive sleep, worry about harming the baby or partner. PPD may also negatively affect the newborn child.
The exact cause of PPD is not clear. However, it is believed that a combination of physical, emotional, genetic, and social factors can cause PPD. These factors may include hormonal changes and sleep deprivation. The risk factors of PPD are prior episodes of postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, a family history of depression, psychological stress, complications of childbirth, and lack of support or drug use.
Moreover, postpartum depression can be diagnosed through personal symptoms, psychological analysis, depression screening, blood tests, and using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Furthermore, the treatments for postpartum depression include medications (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, oxytosin, brexannolone, zuranolone, and ganaxolone), cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, hormone therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and light aerobic exercises.
What is Postpartum Blues?
Postpartum blues is a mood disorder that affects only mothers shortly after childbirth. Postpartum blues is also known as baby blues or maternity blues. It is a self-limiting condition that begins shortly after childbirth. The symptoms of postpartum blues include tearfulness or crying for no reason, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, questioning one’s ability to care for the baby, difficulty in making choices, loss of appetite, fatigue, difficulty in sleeping, and difficulty in concentrating. In this condition, negative mood symptoms are interspersed with positive symptoms. The causes of postpartum blues include fatigue after labor and delivery, caring for a newborn that requires all-time attention, sleep deprivation, lack of support from the family, changes in home and work routines, financial stress, unrealistic expectations of self, relationship strain, societal pressure, overwhelmed and questioning ability to care for the baby, anger, and loss or guilt for parents of sick infants.
Moreover, postpartum blues can be diagnosed through medical history, physical evaluation, repurposing screening tools like Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Beck Depression Index (BDI), and developing blues-specific schemes (maternity blues questionnaire and stein scale). Furthermore, postpartum blues can be treated through antipsychotics drugs, getting enough sleep, taking time to relax, doing activities that the patient enjoys, taking help from family and friends, reaching out to other new parents, avoiding alcohol and other drugs that may worsen the mood symptoms, cognitive therapy, and pharmacotherapy.
What are the Similarities Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues?
- Postpartum depression and postpartum blues are two types of mood disorders.
- Both conditions are specifically associated with childbirth.
- They may show similar emotional and behavioural symptoms.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through psychological analysis.
- They are treated through specific drugs and therapies.
What is the Difference Between Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues?
Postpartum depression is a mood disorder usually associated with childbirth and can affect both sexes, while postpartum blues is a mood disorder that affects only mothers shortly after childbirth. So, this is the key difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues. Furthermore, postpartum depression is caused by physical, emotional, genetic, and social factors, which include hormonal changes and sleep deprivation. On the other hand, postpartum blues are caused by fatigue after labor and delivery, caring for a newborn, which requires all-time attention, sleep deprivation, lack of support from the family, relationship strain, changes in home and work routines, financial stress, unrealistic expectations of self, societal pressure, overwhelmed and questioning ability to care for the baby, anger, loss or guilt for parents of sick infants.
The below infographic presents the differences between postpartum depression and postpartum blues in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Postpartum Depression vs Postpartum Blues
Postpartum depression and postpartum blues are two types of mood disorders associated with childbirth. Postpartum depression can affect both sexes, while postpartum blues affects only mothers shortly after childbirth. Thus, this summarizes the difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues.
Reference:
1. “Postpartum Depression.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Postpartum Blues.” – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Baby-mother-infant-child-female” (CC0) via Pixabay