Postpartum depression treatment: Medication vs. toughing it out

Hear Dr. Shoshana Bennett, PhD, explain why mothers suffering from postpartum depression should not try to 'tough it out' and struggle through it, and the negative effects and risks of doing so. Find out how medication and medical treatment can help multiple aspects of motherhood and family life with postpartum depression.
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Postpartum depression treatment: Medication vs. toughing it out

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Women are often feeling that it's best for her to tough it out and just get through the pregnancy without any medication or get through the breastfeeding process without any medication. She is trying to do what's best for her child. The truth is, it is not best for her to tough it out. She needs treatment. Now treatment it may or may not include medication. But she definitely needs to be talking with a professional who can help her. Depression during pregnancy can hurt the growing baby. Depression crosses the placenta. It actually changes the uterine environment in ways where learning of as we speak and it can cause problems with the babies certainly a mom who is depressed during pregnancy often is not taking care of herself well. She might be losing her appetite. She might not be sleeping as well as she should. She might be missing her prenatal appointments. So again it's very, very important that she gets treated. During breastfeeding when the baby is there, again, the best gift she can give to her child is her whole family is to get help. Her family needs her to be whole because the whole family is rotating around that mommy. If mommy is not okay the family, the family is not doing well. She should definitely not try to tough it out. She should get the help she needs and that she deserves.

Hear Dr. Shoshana Bennett, PhD, explain why mothers suffering from postpartum depression should not try to 'tough it out' and struggle through it, and the negative effects and risks of doing so. Find out how medication and medical treatment can help multiple aspects of motherhood and family life with postpartum depression.

Transcript

Expert Bio

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Shoshana Bennett, PhD

Clinical Psychologist & Postpartum Specialist

Shoshana Bennett, PhD (“Dr. Shosh”) from the popular DrShosh.com Radio Show is the author of Pregnant on Prozac, Postpartum Depression For Dummies, and co-author of Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety.  She is also the creator of the new mobile app PPD Gone.  National TV shows including  20/20, Discovery Channel, The Doctors and The Ricki Lake Show feature Dr. Shosh as the pregnancy and postpartum mood expert and news stations such as CNN consult her. Several publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News have written articles on Dr. Shosh’s work.  She’s interviewed regularly on national radio and has been quoted in dozens of newspapers and magazines such as The Wall Street Journal, WebMD, Boston Globe, Fit Pregnancy, Glamour, Parenting, Psychology Today, New York Post, Self, Cosmopolitan, and the Chicago Tribune. 

Dr. Shosh is a pioneer in the field.  She is a survivor of two life-threatening postpartum depressions. She founded Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987, and is a former president of Postpartum Support International. Dr. Shosh helped develop the official Postpartum Support International training curriculum for professionals which is now considered the gold standard in the field. She has helped over 19,000 women worldwide through individual consultations, support groups and wellness seminars.  As a noted guest lecturer and keynote speaker, she travels throughout the US and abroad, training medical and mental health professionals to assess and treat postpartum depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. She earned three teaching credentials, two masters degrees, a PhD and is licensed as a clinical psychologist.

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