Case Management

POST GRADUATE PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

COURSE- INTEGRATED SOCIAL WORK
INSTRACTOR- DR. HABTAMU
CASE WORK ON
POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION (PPD)

Background study
The birth of a baby can start a variety of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and
anxiety. Some new moms experience a severe, long-lasting form of depression known as
postpartum depression. Sometimes it's called per partum depression because it can start during
pregnancy and continue after childbirth. Rarely, an extreme mood disorder called postpartum
psychosis also may develop after childbirth.
Postpartum depression is not a character flaw or a weakness. Sometimes it's simply a

complication of giving birth. It is a condition faced by millions of women each year. Mothers
with PPD report experiencing disrupted sleep poor concentration and appetite decreased self-
esteem, feelings of failure, anxiety, social withdrawal, guilt, sexual dissatisfaction, obsessive
thoughts , hopelessness, and ongoing fears of harming their baby and of committing suicide.
Although postpartum depression is common, it can be successfully treated with medicine and
therapy. Psychological support and counseling with antidepressant drugs can also help prevent
the tragedy.
PPD has come into the public’s consciousness over the past 30 years, when highly publicized
accounts of new mothers harming their newborn infants catalyzed legislators to begin addressing
the problem (Rhodes & Segre, 2013).
The American Psychiatric Association classifies PPD as a major depressive disorder. The
primary symptoms include sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and thoughts of self-harm or of
harming the infant and behavioral changes such as slowed body movements (APA, 2013).
Although other forms of major depression manifest within one month of the causative stressor,
PPD often does not emerge until one year after childbirth. PPD can be a debilitating disorder that
has severe consequences for new mothers and their infants.
Despite these negative feelings, an estimated 50% of mothers with PPD do not seek treatment or
do not consider their symptoms problematic. Many other mothers who experience their
symptoms as negative choose either to go without treatment or not to disclose their symptoms to
service providers whom they fear will judge them negatively or consider them unfit. (Lucero et
al., 2012)
Relevance and appropriateness of the casework
Despite the fact that social workers have a long-standing history of providing services to
mothers and children, there has been little research published in social work journals to guide
them in their work with mothers with PPD. Although relevant to the population of mothers living
with PPD, research from other professional fields such as nursing and psychiatry is more likely
to address individual/biomedical factors such as hormonal fluctuations than to consider issues
known to affect maternal and child well-being such as neighborhood safety and domestic
violence. Among the mothers most at risk for PPD are mothers from racial and ethnic minority
groups, lower socioeconomic status and rural communities. These same mothers are often less
able to afford ongoing health care, and therefore are often forced to access lower-cost or non-fee-
for-service agencies, which often bring them to the attention of a practicing social worker. Social
workers working in maternal and child health settings are thus well placed to address this
problem.
Which of the following is true?
I am currently pregnant.
I have recently delivered a baby.
2. Check the statements below that apply to you:
You feel restless or irritable, or you have no energy.
You feel sad or depressed, or you cry a lot.

You have headaches, chest pain, fast or skipping heartbeats (heart palpitations), or fast and
shallow breathing (hyperventilation).
You have trouble sleeping, are very tired, or both, but these problems are not related to caring for
the baby.
You have no appetite and have lost weight, or you overeat and have gained weight.
You have trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions.
You are overly worried about the baby, or you have little or no interest in the baby.
You feel worthless or guilty.
You have no interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy, including sex.
Your baby is irritable, fussy, unpredictable, and difficult to soothe.
You are afraid of hurting your baby or yourself.
Your baby was born prematurely, has a health problem, or you have twins or other multiples.
You have little or no support or help at home to care for this child.
You had a brief period of tearfulness and mood swings in the first week or so after delivery.
You had a life-altering event during this pregnancy, such as a death in the family, loss of a job, a
job change, or divorce or separation.
None of the above
How often do you feel stressed?
Have you felt anxious or on edge in the past two weeks?
Typically, how hard is it for you to fall asleep?
Is it hard for you to stay focused with background noise (e.g. people talking, music, traffic)?

Case Management

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Management

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Management

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

POST GRADUATE PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION (PPD)

Postpartum depression is not a character flaw or a weakness. Sometimes it's simply a

Which of the following is true?

I have recently delivered a baby.

2. Check the statements below that apply to you:

You feel restless or irritable, or you have no energy.

You feel sad or depressed, or you cry a lot.

You have trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions.

You feel worthless or guilty.

Your baby is irritable, fussy, unpredictable, and difficult to soothe.

You are afraid of hurting your baby or yourself.

None of the above

How often do you feel stressed?

Have you felt anxious or on edge in the past two weeks?

Typically, how hard is it for you to fall asleep?

You might also like