Overcoming Postpartum Depression
Apart from a mild case of the blues during the first week, Michelle felt great for a month after her daughter was born. But then she started to feel down, stopped sleeping, began crying every day, and experienced overwhelming anxiety. Michelle had PPD - postpartum depression - and the time of her life she'd expected to be the happiest turned into a nightmare.
PPD strikes up to thirty percent of all women who give birth, yet only a small fraction of those who suffer this devastating illness ever get the help they need. In this ground breaking book, postpartum experts Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin offer compassionate support and solid advice for women with PPD and those closest to them. They provide a self-help program for women to use alone or with a support group, and offer step-by-step guidance to help women monitor each phase of the illness.
Learn how to:
- identify the symptoms of PPD and distinguish it from the less severe "baby blues"
- break the cycle of shame and negative thoughts
- deal with panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive urges and postpartum emergencies
- mobilize support from your husband or partner, family and friends
- seek and evaluate treatment options
- address the disappointment and loss of self-esteem that accompany motherhood complicated by PPD
- and much much more
