Transcript Post Natal Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Natal Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder
What is it??
• A type of anxiety disorder which results from a
traumatic event that involves the threat of
injury or death.
• PTSD can be a consequence of a traumatic
birth experience
• Approximately 1-2% of women suffer from
this disorder
• Causes vary
• PNPTSD is often misdiagnosed with Post-Natal
Depression
• Treatments are still being researched due to
the fact that it is often mistaken for PND.
Causes
• Mode of Delivery
• Fear for child’s life and mother’s
own life
• Lack of Control
• Previous traumatic event
“The midwife was listening for my baby's heartbeat and asking me
what was
wrong then she panicked. ‘The heartbeats too low we have to get this
baby out
now, your blood pressure is too high, we need to get a drip into
you……you are
going to bleed too much.’ She was so unprofessional I completely
freaked out
and was screaming out for help. My mum and husband were
panicking too
although they were telling me that everything was okay and that
it’d be alright but
I could tell that something was wrong. …..At the same time I had a
doctor trying
to get a drip in my hand and the doctor and midwife arguing that
they needed
more help and the midwife saying that all the other midwives were
busy. That’s
when they pressed the alarm and suddenly there were loads of
people in the
room. I really thought at this point that my baby was dead, in fact I
was telling
myself you have 2 beautiful children already you are so lucky. It
was the most
awful feeling in the world and one I wouldn’t wish on my worst
enemy.”(Lucy)
Symptoms
• Flashbacks of
the event, vivid &
sudden memories
• Post-natal
isolation
• Fear of sex and
childbirth
• Mother-baby
bonding
problems
“I feel utterly robbed. Cheated. You can’t
turn the clock back now so I have to live
with this feeling every day but it hurts me
to my core. I look at pregnant women and
other mothers and I feel resentment and
anger at their happiness. It’s almost like
my baby died. She didn’t, she’s here, but I
am grieving. People don’t understand that,
but to me it’s easy. My daughter’s birth
should have been a joyous occasion, but I
feel only intense pain at its memory. It
was the worst day of my life. This was my
start to motherhood and I’m expected just
to get on with it” (Melissa)
POST NATAL POST
TRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER VS POST NATAL
DEPRESSION
PN PSTD
BOTH
PND
FLASHBACKS
Loss of interest in
previously enjoyed
activities (sex)
Sad moods
DISTRUST OF
AUTHORITY FIGURES
Sleep disturbance
Thoughts of harming
baby
AVOIDANCE OF ALL
REMINDERS
Memory Loss
Negative/obsessive
thoughts
Excessive feelings of
guilt and inadequacy
Body aches, pains,
headaches
INTENSE
PSYCHIOLOGICAL
STRESS FROM ANY
REMINDERS OF
TREATMENT
Because the symptoms of the two disorders overlap,
individuals often become misdiagnosed. They are not
dealth with distinctively and idividually as they should.
25% of women with PNPTSD are not suffering with PND
and thus remain undetected. Misdiagnosing this disorder
for PND often results in the treatments for antidepressants
which often do very little to help with the situation.
When properly diagnosed, the one treatment proven to
effectively succeed in treating and individual is
Psychotherapy. It will help to develop strategies for coping,
to reduce and manage anxiety, build a woman's self
confidence and self-esteem, identify negative thoughts and
address relationship issues.
In addition, support groups, individual counseling, Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy groups, and medication are also
treatments used.
What Can be Done?
Antenatal Education
1. Managing expectations
2. Empower the woman to choose her own birth choices
3. Hospital education
Improvement of Hospital Care
1. Fully trained maternity staff
2. Decent, supportive, and sensitive post natal care for all
women
Post Natal Support
1. Local support networks to help those who feel isolated.
2. Psychotherapy to validate and tackle these issues.
3. Recognize difference between PTSD and PND to avoid
misdiagnosing and mistreating an individual.