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KASUS Postpartum Depression

Valerie experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Heather. She felt extremely tired, lost her appetite, had trouble sleeping, and felt anxious, irritable and hopeless. She told her husband Josh that she felt like a mistake as a mother. Josh was concerned and called his sister Laura for help. Laura recognized that Valerie had postpartum depression. Valerie was diagnosed with severe postpartum depression by her doctor and started antidepressant medication and therapy. After treatment, Valerie's depression symptoms improved and she was able to enjoy time with her daughter.

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39 views

KASUS Postpartum Depression

Valerie experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Heather. She felt extremely tired, lost her appetite, had trouble sleeping, and felt anxious, irritable and hopeless. She told her husband Josh that she felt like a mistake as a mother. Josh was concerned and called his sister Laura for help. Laura recognized that Valerie had postpartum depression. Valerie was diagnosed with severe postpartum depression by her doctor and started antidepressant medication and therapy. After treatment, Valerie's depression symptoms improved and she was able to enjoy time with her daughter.

Uploaded by

rahmatseptian
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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[POST PARTUM DEPRESSION/ PSIK

SEMESTER 8]

Postpartum Depression
Valerie: A Case Example
Valerie and her husband Josh were very excited about having their first baby. Valerie's
pregnancy was uneventful and the labour and delivery were normal. They happily
welcomed Heather, a beautiful and healthy baby girl, into their family. Valerie was doing
well at the hospital. Except for a couple of unexplained crying spells that the nurses
dismissed as "The Blues", she was coping well. However, two weeks after she got home
with the baby Valerie started feeling down. She was extremely tired, her breasts were
sore, and she was getting very lonely. As much as she loved Heather, she found that
taking care of her was time consuming, exhausting and sometimes frustrating, especially
when she cried for hours with no apparent reason. Josh was working long hours at his
business and when she would call him and tell him she was upset, he would try to
comfort her on the phone but would be unable to leave everything and come home.
Valerie's mother, who lived in a different province had planned to come for a couple of
weeks, but unfortunately Valerie's father fell ill and her mother had to stay and take care
of him. As the weeks went by Valerie felt worse and worse. She was unable to sleep
even when the baby was sleeping, she lost her appetite completely and she felt anxious,
irritable and hopeless most of the time. She told Josh one evening that she thought she
had made a mistake having the baby. "I am just not fit to be a mother," she said, "and
I'm afraid Heather is going to hate me." Valerie was having thoughts about death and
dying. She fantasized driving her car off a bridge and leaving everything behind. She
thought to herself that Heather would probably be better off without her, since she was
useless anyhow, but she never mentioned those thoughts to Josh. Nevertheless, Josh
was very concerned about Valerie. He did not expect this to happen. Valerie was such a
competent, bright woman who loved children. He was sure she would be happy and a
wonderful mom. He did not know what to do to help Valerie. After all, he was working
hard to ensure the business kept bringing in the money that they needed so much,
especially now with the new baby. Josh decided to phone his sister, who lived in another
city and see if she would come and help Valerie. When Laura came the next week and
spent time with Valerie, she realized that Valerie was depressed. "Valerie, Laura said, "I
know what you're going throughI had it too after I had Natalieit's Depression
Postpartum Depression." Laura encouraged Valerie to talk to her family doctor who
referred her to a psychiatrist for assessment. Valerie was diagnosed as having severe
Postpartum Depression. She was prescribed an anti-depressant and later started seeing
a psychologist for therapy.

[POST PARTUM DEPRESSION/ PSIK


SEMESTER 8]
Six weeks after she started taking the medication, Valerie felt for the first time that her
depression was lifting. She was able to eat again, and her sleep improved. She became
less anxious and somewhat more hopeful. In therapy, she learned about self-care and
about the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. She learned that she
was not helpless and that she could be proactive in her own healing process. She learned
to ask for help when she needed it, take breaks and express her feelings more
effectively. After 12 weeks in therapy, Valerie's symptoms of depression were almost
completely gone. She was still somewhat tired, but she was hopeful about the future and
she enjoyed Heather more. She joined a group of mothers and babies and made a
couple of friends. She felt more in charge of her life and she started to believe she was a
"good enough" mother. Maybe not perfect, but definitely not as horrible as she had
believed herself to be. Valerie was well on her way to full recovery.

[POST PARTUM DEPRESSION/ PSIK


SEMESTER 8]
Enraged by Newborn Crying - Case Example

June, 27, comes for therapy accompanied by her husband. They recently had their first
child together, and since the second week, June has been overwhelmed by sadness, even
crying anytime the baby wants to feed, and once becoming enraged at the babys crying
to the point that her husband took the baby in another room. June is mortified, ashamed
and afraid. The therapist normalizes these feeling, explaining what Post Partum
Depression is. The therapist takes a history and finds out some important information:
The birth was difficult, and June felt very anxious and alone in the hospital. She did not
like her doctor. She believes her mother disapproves of her husband and her parenting
values. And her husband recently got a promotion and cannot help much at home, for
which she resents him somewhat. Talking about all this helps, and the therapist builds on
this small bit of progress by suggesting some self-care and coping skills. Junes husband
also agrees to take some time off work to help out, and June is referred to a support
group for new mothers.

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