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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have signs and symptoms common to postpartum depression, call your doctor. Don't let shame or anxiety stop you. Postpartum depression is common and your doctor knows it's not your fault. To protect your health and the health of your baby, the condition needs to be treated as soon as possible.
After your initial appointment, your doctor may refer you to a mental health provider who can create the right treatment plan for you.
Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you've been experiencing, and for how long.
- Write down all of your medical information, including other physical or mental health conditions with which you've been diagnosed. Tell your doctor if you've been diagnosed with any type of depression or other mental health disorder in the past. Also write down the names of any medications you're taking, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements.
- Find a trusted family member or friend to join you for your appointment. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Questions to ask a doctor who sees you for possible postpartum depression include:
- What is my diagnosis?
- What treatments are likely to be helpful in my case?
- What are the possible side effects of the treatments you're proposing?
- How much and how soon do you expect my symptoms to improve with treatment?
- How long will I need to be treated?
- What lifestyle changes can help me manage my symptoms?
- How often should I be seen for follow-up visits?
- Am I at increased risk of other mental health problems?
- Am I at risk of this condition recurring if I have another baby?
- Is there any way to prevent a recurrence if I have another baby?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared in advance, don't hesitate to ask for more information at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
A doctor or mental health provider who sees you for possible postpartum depression may ask:
- What are your symptoms, and when did they first develop?
- Have your symptoms been getting better or worse over time?
- Are your symptoms affecting your ability to care for your baby?
- Do you feel as bonded to your baby as you expected?
- Are you able to sleep when you have the chance, and get out of bed when it's time to wake up?
- How would you describe your energy level?
- Has your appetite changed?
- How often would you say you feel anxious, irritable or angry?
- Have you had any thoughts of harming yourself or your baby?
- How much support do you have caring for your baby?
- How much stress are you otherwise under, such as financial or relationship problems?
- Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions, including mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder?
- Have you been treated for other psychiatric symptoms or mental illness in the past? If yes, what type of therapy was most beneficial?
What you can do in the meantime
While you wait for your appointment with your doctor, try to open up to the people close to you and let them know you need help. If someone offers to baby-sit your baby so that you can take a break, take them up on it. If you can sleep, take a nap. Catch a movie with an old friend or meet a trusted relative for coffee. Breaking the isolation may help you feel human again.
If at any point you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, immediately give your baby to your partner or another loved one and call 911 or your local emergency assistance number.
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): PRAMS and postpartum depression. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/prams/PPD.htm. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Depression during and after pregnancy. National Institutes of Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/depression-pregnancy.cfm. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Pearlstein T, et al. Postpartum depression. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2009;4:357.
- Lusskin SI, et al. Postpartum blues and depression. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Wisner KL, et al. Psychiatric disorders. In: Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Churchill Livingstone; Maryland Heights, Mo.: 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/187831438-3/0/1528/496.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06930-7..50052-9--cesec15_2201. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Depression. National Institutes of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-index.shtml. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Mischoulon D. Update and critique of natural remedies as antidepressant treatments. Obstetric and Gynecologic Clinics of North America. 2009;36:789.
- Shyn SI, et al. The genetics of major depression: Moving beyond the monoamine hypothesis. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2010;33:125.
- Major depressive episode. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 7, 2010.
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