Treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy

CBT focuses on retraining thoughts and behaviors that may contribute to depression. CBT is often short term, requiring usually between 6 and 20 sessions. The goal is to teach specific skills to solve current difficulties and prevent future problems. The therapy helps you identify negative thought patterns and teaches you to become aware of how thinking influences feeling. Behaviors, too, are addressed. You are encouraged to try out new behaviors while avoiding negative thoughts that can influence behavior. CBT is used for many mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and PTSD.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

This stress reduction course is an 8- to 10-week group-based educational program introduced more than 30 years ago at University of Massachusetts Medical School and now offered at many locations nationally. Mindfulness approaches are based on Buddhist philosophy and teach you to become aware of your mental and physiological experience and achieve a sense of calm, relaxation, and acceptance. It is being used effectively in conjunction with CBT.

Medication

Antidepressant medication can effectively reduce symptoms quickly in many people. Getting relief is important, because untreated mood disorders have significant negative effects on children’s development. But there also may be side effects from using prescribed medication to treat mood disorders. Some mothers are concerned about excreting medications in their breast milk. Some antidepressant medications can be passed on to an infant in very small amounts.

When considering medication, it is important to weigh all of the potential risks and benefits with your healthcare provider. No medication should ever be taken without the advice and knowledge of your physician.

Acupuncture

Though considered a complementary therapy in the United States, acupuncture is one of the oldest healing practices in the world. The activation of specific points on the body is thought to help restore and maintain health. In one study, for example, researchers found that a small group of PTSD patients who received acupuncture for 12 weeks showed benefits similar to another group who received 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy.

There are no studies yet of acupuncture specifically for postpartum mood disorders, but based on promising results with other mood disorders, it may be a therapeutic approach to explore in conjunction with help from a healthcare provider.