The effects of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression, or PPD is an illness that effects people from your average every day woman to glamorous folks in Hollywood. Actress, model, and singer Hayden Paniettiere is one of the stars of the ABC show Nashville. Her character is currently going through PPD and now, according to ABC news, Paniettiere announced she herself is seeking treatment.

47 ABC spoke with Michell Jordan, Assistant Professor for the Department of Nursing at Salisbury University and she says, “It can affect the entire family if there’s other children, the spouse or partner, it affects everybody.”

Jordan says seeking treatment is very important for everybody involved and tells 47 ABC, “Seeking help is the biggest thing for the woman or her family members that are recognizing that there are issues, that’s the first step and then it makes things much better.”

Jordan says the first few days after a baby is born, it’s normal for a mother to experience changes in mood, whether it be extreme happiness to extreme sadness. But if those extreme emotions continue after the two weeks, they call it postpartum depression.

Jordan tells 47 ABC, “I think one of the big things is that women don’t want to admit or acknowledge that they’re depressed because they think that people would feel that they were a bad parent. Being depressed does not mean that you’re not a good parent it doesn’t mean you’re not doing your best to take care of your child.”

While PPD is not considered curable, Jordan says it is treatable. The main treatments include counseling, psychotherapy, and medication.

Jordan tells 47 ABC, “If a woman feels like she may have postpartum depression it’s just very important to seek help right away, it can get better, it does get better.”

If you think yourself or someone you may know may be suffering from postpartum depression, it’s best to seek professional treatment. As far as Hayden Paniettiere, she can still be seen on her show Nashville which airs Wednesday nights at 10 on ABC.