Post Natal Depression

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What is postnatal depression?

Postnatal depression is a type of depression that parents can experience after having a baby. While it mostly affects mothers, it can also affect partners and fathers too.

 

If you think you’re suffering from postnatal depression, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible because the symptoms can have a significant impact on you and your baby. With the right treatment, most people are able to make a full recovery.

What are the symptoms of postnatal depression?

  • Persistent feeling of sadness or low mood
  • Loss of interest in the world around you and no longer enjoying things
  • Lack of energy and feeling tired all the time
  • Feeling that you are unable to look after your baby
  • Problems concentrating and making decisions
  • Loss of appetite or increased appetite
  • Feelings of guilt, hopelessness and self-blame
  • Difficulty bonding with your baby with a feeling of indifference and no sense of enjoyment in his or her company
  • Frightening thoughts such as wishing to hurt your baby. These can be very scary and disturbing but they are rarely acted upon
  • Thinking about self-harm and suicide
consultation taking notes

Treatment for postnatal depression

Therapy is usually recommended for postnatal depression. However, if your symptoms of depression are severe, it might also be helpful to consider antidepressant medication. If you think that you or a loved one is suffering from postnatal depression, please get advice from your GP.

 

Following your initial assessment, we will match you with a psychologist we believe can best support your needs. Your psychologist is likely to work closely with your GP and family to ensure that you have the most appropriate care package to meet both your needs and the needs of your baby.

Frequently asked questions

Having a baby can be a challenging experience and it can sometimes bring up experiences and memories from our early life. But just because you are struggling with becoming a parent doesn’t necessarily mean that you have postnatal depression.

 

Some of the most common signs of postnatal depression are: difficulties sleeping, lack of energy, feeling low in mood and tearful a lot of the time… Likewise, it is important that you seek help if you are noticing that you don’t feel attached to your baby in the way that you expected to before they were born and if you are no longer finding enjoyment in the things that once gave you pleasure.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) and Schema Therapy are generally the most effective treatments for postnatal depression.

Becoming a parent can be an unsettling time – both because of the changes to your life but also because of the different vulnerabilities it can trigger, depending on your own history. If you are struggling with any aspect of becoming a parent, seeking therapy can be incredibly helpful. Therapy will help you connect with your early experiences and empower you so that you can engage in parenting in a more meaningful and fulfilling way.

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Athena Lazaridou

February 13, 2024 No Comments

Athena is a Pilates instructor with 8 years’ experience in the field. After completing a Power Pilates Mat Certification in Athens, she went on to complete the Full Comprehensive Classical Pilates Certification with Equinox in Kensington.  She has been teaching Pilates at Equinox for the past 6 years in addition to her own private clients who she trains both face to face and virtually.

Athena has a passion for helping people get stronger and fitter as well as helping those recovering from injury regain their strength and mobility.  Over the years, she has worked with athletes to incorporate Pilates into their training and improve performance. Athena has also worked with prenatal and postnatal women who may be experiencing depression or other mental health difficulties and used Pilates to facilitate a positive impact on their mental health.

Athena is very passionate about improving physical and mental well-being and has recently incorporated Sound Healing into her work, as she believes it to be one of the best ways of ‘letting go’ and releasing stale energy whilst increasing greater self-awareness.