There has been awareness of postpartum emotional problems throughout recorded history. Although pregnancy and the difficulties surrounding motherhood are far from new, and despite our so-called advanced modern medicine, we as a society have a shamefully meager understanding of the postpartum experience, and in general, we pay astonishingly little attention to new mothers.

While society regards bringing a new baby into the world as an entirely exhilarating, blissful period, most women experience some form of negative transition, and many suffer from depression and loneliness.

At present there is much pubic controversy about the nature and treatment of postpartum mood disorders, with certain high profile celebrities such as Tom Cruise slinging derogatory remarks about the psychiatric and psychological treatment of postpartum depression.

As a society, we have a shamefully meager understanding of the postpartum experience, and in general, we pay astonishingly little attention to new mothers.

With an apparent baby boom on the rise, it is important for new mothers to recognize that pregnancy and the postnatal period which follows is often accompanied by a spectrum of challenges and confusing emotions that fit into the continuum of postpartum mood disorders. For their own well-being, and the welfare of their families and relationships, it is critical that women understand the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options available to help ease them through this time of confusion and distress.

What Is Postpartum Illness?

Unfortunately, the nature and underlying cause of postpartum depression as a disease remains unclear. The term 'depression' is a rather vague and often imprecise blanket that has been commonly used to describe an entire range of (possibly unrelated) postpartum disorders, including the mild and very common temporary syndrome (which is characterized by feelings of sadness, emotional instability, weeping, irritability, and fatigue), as well as much rarer, more severe psychotic reactions.

Four basic forms of postpartum mood disorder have been identified:

Postpartum or Transitory 'Blues'

Commonly referred to as 'baby blues', this describes the temporary weeping and emotional instability which occurs in 50 to 80 percent of new mothers within one to three days postpartum. Symptoms may last for several weeks and typically include:

Lethargy, lack of sleep, food cravings or loss of appetite; mood changes, a sense of vulnerability, anxiety, confusion, lack of confidence, sadness, feeling overwhelmed, not feeling like yourself, weeping, hyperactivity, oversensitivity, irritability, lack of feeling for the baby.

Postpartum Depression

More debilitating than the 'baby blues' this syndrome remains poorly defined and is estimated to occur at a rate of 10 to 35 percent of births. Onset may occur any time after delivery, and generally sets in after the woman has returned home from the hospital. Symptoms may last from a few weeks to several months and typically include:

Despair, tearfulness, headaches, hyperventilation, chest pains, physical numbness feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, extreme guilt, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, loss of normal interests, thoughts of suicide, bizarre or strange thoughts, over concern for baby's health, panic attacks, hostility, new fears or phobias, difficulty concentrating, hallucinations, nightmares, no feelings for baby, feeling out of control, feeling like you are 'going crazy'.

This syndrome is probably the least studied or defined. Although treatable, many women suffering from postpartum depression do not recognize that they have the illness. Researchers estimate that only 20 percent of women with the disorder seek help; guilt and fear often prevent women from seeking treatment.

Postpartum Psychosis

Most medical and psychiatric literature is preoccupied with this severe, but relatively rare disorder whose symptoms are similar to general psychotic reactions. Onset is rapid and debilitating; 80 percent of all cases occur within three to fourteen days after a symptom-free period. Symptoms include:

Extreme confusion, memory loss, incoherence, bizarre hallucinations, refusal to eat, inability to control behavior, frantic excessive energy, irrationality and unfounded suspiciousness.

Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome

A fourth category has been introduced in recent years, which accounts for a disorder defined as postpartum post-traumatic stress syndrome, which views Caesarian birth, death of the infant and other major traumatic stresses as triggers to postpartum illness.

Click here for more information on postpartum mood disorders and treatments: http://www.gkfa.com/health/body/pregnancy/Postpartum_Mood_Disorders_Causes_Treatment.asp

Johneen Manning is Editor-In-Chief of http://www.GKFA.com, a hip, savvy and fresh online magazine for the 'Sex and the City' generation of women.