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» Conditions » Anxiety Disorders and Phobias » Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Following Childbirth
People who are afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffer from pronounced symptoms of distress after experiencing a traumatic event that prompted intense fear or helplessness. Childbirth can be one of the most intense physical and emotional experiences a woman can go through and recent studies say that for some women it can be the cause of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Women who feel traumatizing levels of fear during labor and delivery and feel the situation is out of their control, or those who experience delivery in which the infant's life is seriously at risk are particularly prone to PTSD. Women not accompanied by a partner during labor and delivery are also susceptible, and can be as much as three times more likely to experience PTSD.
For these women, the symptoms of PTSD--nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts--can last for more than a year. The reaction of PTSD is not to be confused with postpartum depression which is a persistent low mood, although some new mothers who experience PTSD can have postpartum depression,as well.
Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can save the new mother and those close to her needless pain and suffering. The sooner therapy is begun, the sooner the woman suffering from PTSD can feel relief from her symptoms and resolve the trauma of her childbirth experience.
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