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| Adjusting to life as a mother can be difficult. In fact, for many women, having a baby is the most significant life changing event they will ever experience. As a result, it is common for women to experience increased emotions or feelings of being overwhelmed during the weeks after giving birth. When emotional distress is persistent and disabling it can reach the level of clinical depression. When this occurs within a month after birth this is termed PND. |
| PND can be a devastating and debilitating illness that can persist and affect not just a new mother but everyone around her. Defined as an onset of major depression after childbirth, this illness occurs at a time of immense physical, psychological and social change for the mother. |
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PND can be mild, moderate or severe and symptoms can begin suddenly after birth or appear gradually in the weeks or months during the first year after birth. More information on postnatal depression can be found at the following websites:
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| Remember, you should seek professional help from a mental health professional, mental health service, your GP or health provider when problems arise. For general health information, referral & teletriage services call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for the cost of a local call. |
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(also known as the National PND Program) - funded by beyondblue: the national depression initiative, as part of their commitment to prevention and early intervention and research of depression, anxiety and related disorders Australia wide.
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