Postpartum Depression: Worries Over Stopping Treatment

Studies have shown that anywhere from 5% to 25% of women can experience postpartum depression (PPD) after childbirth. Although the exact number of mothers (and in a smaller percent, fathers) is unclear, the burden of post-childbirth exhaustion and depression is real for many women.

Afraid of Quitting Antidepressants

Some mothers find their prescription antidepressants so beneficial to their life that they begin to fear to go off them, then they fear they have become dependent. It is a dilemma common to many people who use medication to alleviate their depression.

Misty Matthews is one mother who struggles with this issue. Misty blogs regularly about life, parenting and coping with post-partum depression. One of her goals is to help other women understand that PPD is nothing to be ashamed of.

Note: Misty discussed her experiences with postpartum depression with HealthyPlace in a video. Unfortunately, that video is no longer available. We have information about antidepressant dependency and postpartum depression called Antidepressant Medication Side-effects in Postpartum Depression that can help.

This video explains some treatments for postpartum depression.

Here's a video in which women discuss postpartum depression and how it affected them.

Share Your Experiences with Post-Partum Depression

Have you experienced postpartum depression after childbirth? We invite you to share your experiences in the comments below.