Postpartum Depression Treatment In The Late 1800s
Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed type of medication for postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression treatment in the late 1800s. Antidepressants work to elevate and stabilize the mood. It may help to talk through your concerns with a psychiatrist psychologist or other mental health professional. But just a few generations ago the women who suffered from these conditions were confined to an asylum. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries treatments for severe depression were generally not enough to help patients leading many people desperate for relief to have lobotomies which are surgeries to destroy the frontal portion of the brain.
Some studies have shown that rates of ppd in adoptive parents are comparable to ppd rates in. With proper treatment most women feel better and their symptoms improve. As a result many desperate people were treated with lobotomy the surgical destruction of the frontal portion of a person s brain which had become popular as a calming treatment at this time. Rooted largely in women s thwarted ambitions and limited opportunities a rash of so called hysteria cases occured during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The duration of postpartum depression will largely depend on how soon it is diagnosed and treated. Postpartum depression is often treated with psychotherapy also called talk therapy or mental health counseling medication or both. Cognitive behavioral therapy cbt and interpersonal psychotherapy ipt are two of the most widely used forms of therapy to aid in the recovery of postpartum depression. To have a disorder in the victorian era was looked at as witchcraft.
Only in one case 1868 was additional treatment prescribed in the form of polenta poultices sulphates of potassium iodide leeches rubbery emulsions with iron carbonate and gentian extracts and in another 1871 morphine acetate infusions of senna leaves citric acid and ammonium acetate ethers 57. Treatment for perinatal depression is important for the health of both the mother and the baby as perinatal depression can have serious health effects on both. In today s society postpartum depression can be treated by therapy and prescribed medications. The most common treatment for delayed ppd includes some sort of psychotherapy.
Half of men who have partners with postpartum depression will go on to develop depression themselves. Treatments during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were usually inadequate for people with severe depression. These surgeries were reputed to have a calming effect. Approximately 10 of new fathers experience symptoms of depression during the postpartum period.
Additionally postpartum depression doesn t only affect new mothers. Treatment for perinatal depression often includes therapy medications or a combination of the two.