Depression is a problem that a myriad of persons struggle with today, but it tends to burden pregnant women and new mothers in a very specific and harsh way. The change in a woman's life and body associated with the birth of a child often results in a particularly hazardous form of depression , referred to as postpartum depression.

Physically, when a woman becomes pregnant, her body undergoes huge changes in shape and mass. As well, an assortment of hormones come into play that up to this point have remained dormant. Inexplicable mood changes and bouts of depression are frequently reported amongst pregnant women and women who have just given birth, while, equally inexplicably, other women remain totally unaffected. Dramatic and frequent shifts in mood though, from extreme highs to extreme lows, can occur with little warning or explanation, though it is hardly surprising really, when one thinks about what the body has been undergoing, along with the overpowering mental burden connected with the woman's often unfamiliar role as a mum.

It is impossible to foretell exactly who will be affected by Postpartum depression. It can happen to the most capable, sensible and sensitive mother. Even women who have not experienced it with their first child may find that they are astounded by a dramatic beginning of depression and anxiety after the birth of the second or third baby. Postpartum depression is a highly volatile manner of depressive illness, but it is important to distinguish it quickly when it does occur so that it can be dealt with successfully.

Postpartum depression is a serious condition, but thankfully it is also a treatable one. You are best advised to ask for help swiftly when your partner, friend, family member or you yourself identify the signs. This can decrease the risk of the further development of the illness and its destructive consequences.

For many women, admitting that there is a problem is testing and quite frequently embarrassing. While in most Western countries modern families have numerous choices as to how and who raises the children, there still persists an unshakable belief that all the skills linked with motherhood have been hotwired into women's brain, and thus should surface naturally. This is hardly ever how new mothers experience birth and the first stages of motherhood, but it can still be difficult for new mums to overcome the stigma they associate with their perceived helplessness and confusion after birth.

The essential thing for new mothers to register this, if they do feel depressed, suicidal or even homicidal, is that they are not going crazy but are going through experiences that are particularly common to women in their form. Partners and parents should go out of their way to help such women to accept such negative feelings when they arise, so that they might be put in perspective.

Mood swings, even extreme mood swings, in pregnant women or young mothers are nothing to be ashamed of, but if left undiagnosed and untreated, they can lead to undesirable and destructive behaviour. Accepting that there is a problem is where the healing of Postpartum depression begins.