Depression and Anxiety

Depression is a very common condition involving feelings of worthlessness. When depressed you can vary from being blue, or in a down mood, to being dysfunctional. You tend to not enjoy things in life, and have nothing to look forward to in the future. If you are depressed, you should acknowledge that you have a serious condition and seek help from your doctor. This condition is as real and potentially life - threatening as a brain tumor. No person with a brain tumor would go without medical care; nor should a person with depression.

Depression may get worse during pregnancy, but most women with depression remain stable during pregnancy and have healthy babies. It is the first month after delivery that is the most problematic. During this month, even with a healthy baby, you get very little sleep. You have new demands placed on you that can make you very stressed and more depressed. It is important to arrange as much support as possible to be available during this very difficult time. Also, if you have depression, you should schedule regular visits with your counselor during the pregnancy. During the first months after the baby is born, these visits are even more important.

When you want to become pregnant, it is best to discontinue taking medication for depression as long as your counselor advises you that you can do so safely. However, if you need to be on medication during pregnancy, accept that fact and continue to take it. While there is some risk involved with taking most prescription drugs, these risks are usually small. If you are able to do without the medicine during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you greatly lower the risk involved with taking the drugs. However, not taking the medicine when you need it could prove much more dangerous than the medicine itself could ever be to the baby. Serious depression can lead to poor eating habits, abuse of drugs, or even attempted suicide - obviously dangerous to baby's development.

Anxiety is a condition of feeling very stressed. It is very normal to feel anxious and stressed at times during pregnancy as you contemplate the changes and responsibilities a new baby will bring. (And you may feel that parenthood and anxiety go hand in hand.) But a true anxiety disorder is a crippling thing. When you have an anxiety disorder, you are not able to relax and sleep well, and your ability to think and reason worsen over time. No good drugs for this condition can be used safely in pregnancy. The best approach to managing an anxiety disorder during pregnancy is to work with your counselor to find ways to control the problem without medication. If you cannot do so, it may not be wise to get pregnant. The other option is to get pregnant and accept the risks involved with the available medicines. The problem is that if you have an anxiety disorder, you are probably not able to cope with this option. Yow may be very stressed with the thought you may have harmed your baby. This stress can continue even as the baby grows up and is developing normally.