How long does postpartum depression last?

Written by Yue Hua
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Updated on September 02, 2024
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Postpartum depression can generally be cured within a year in 70% of women. In families where such cases occur, it is important to pay attention, communicate more with the patient, and provide sufficient care and guidance. Additionally, timely psychological and pharmacological treatments should be administered to boost the patient's confidence and self-worth. It is also necessary to use antidepressant medications under a doctor's guidance that do not enter the breast milk, meaning they do not affect breastfeeding.

Other Voices

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
1min 4sec home-news-image

Can depression recur?

Relapse in patients with depression is a relatively common issue in clinical practice. Large-scale studies have found that even with systematic, standardized treatment with sufficient dosage and duration of antidepressant medications, still 15% of patients do not achieve clinical recovery. Even with persistent standardized treatment, the relapse rate remains at 20%. If treatment is discontinued, the relapse rate can rise to as high as 85%. For patients who have recovered, there is still a 20% chance of relapse within six months. 50% of patients relapse within two years after their first episode. Therefore, the relapse rate is higher in patients over the age of 45. Thus, depression is characterized by a high rate of relapse, yet it is also highly treatable. Therefore, during the course of pharmacological treatment, psychological and physical therapies should be concurrently employed as adjunctive treatments to improve cure rates and reduce the likelihood of relapse.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Dietary Cautions for Geriatric Depression

Patients with geriatric depression currently find antidepressant medications and electroconvulsive therapy to be quite effective. However, due to lack of appetite and poor mental responsiveness in these patients, their nutritional status often remains unfulfilled. Therefore, we should enhance the dietary nutrition of elderly patients with depression. The focus should be on protein-rich foods such as eggs, shrimp, fish, chicken, and duck. Additionally, attention should be given to including roughage in the diet, ensuring daily fruit intake and vegetables in every meal.

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Written by Yue Hua
Obstetrics and Gynecology
38sec home-news-image

How long does postpartum depression last?

Postpartum depression can generally be cured within a year in 70% of women. In families where such cases occur, it is important to pay attention, communicate more with the patient, and provide sufficient care and guidance. Additionally, timely psychological and pharmacological treatments should be administered to boost the patient's confidence and self-worth. It is also necessary to use antidepressant medications under a doctor's guidance that do not enter the breast milk, meaning they do not affect breastfeeding.

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home-news-image
Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
52sec home-news-image

Will depression get better?

Patients with depression can achieve clinical recovery. Large-scale survey studies have found that about 85% of patients can reach clinical recovery as long as they undergo systematic and standardized treatment. At the same time, systematic and standardized psychotherapy and physical therapy should also be conducted. This can uphold the recurrence rate or relapse rate of the patients. Studies have found that about 20% relapse within six months after the initial treatment, and the relapse rate reaches 50% within two years. For older patients, their relapse rate may be even higher. Therefore, depression is a highly curable disease, but also a highly recurrent disease. Systematic, standardized, and scientifically reasonable treatment is still a very important means to achieve good recovery rates and reduce relapses in depression.

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Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
1min 5sec home-news-image

Can postpartum depression breastfeed?

When postpartum depression occurs, it is possible to continue breastfeeding. If the depression is mild and no medication is taken, continuing breastfeeding will not affect the baby's growth and development. However, depression often leads to low spirits, frequent crying, and a reluctance to care for the child, which can affect milk secretion and lead to a reduction in milk supply that may not meet the baby's growth needs. In such cases, it may be necessary to add supplementary food or formula. If postpartum depression is severe and involves medication, these medications may enter the baby's body through the breast milk, which can affect the baby's health. Therefore, if postpartum depression occurs and medication is taken, breastfeeding should be stopped. (Note: The answer is for reference only. Medication should be administered under the guidance of a professional physician, and blind medication should be avoided.)