Postnatal depression

What causes postnatal depression?

The causes are varied, depending on the individual woman and her background. In almost every case, there is no single factor, but there is instead a cocktail of elements which have combined to trigger the depression. For the majority of women affected by postnatal depression, the causes are largely psychological and social and may include:

An unhappy or traumatic childhood, leading to an unsatisfactory relationship with your own parents

The lack of a close and confiding relationship, especially with a mother figure in your own life

Having no one to turn to for practical and emotional support

You may have had mixed (and perhaps unexpressed) feelings about the baby, even during the pregnancy; the seeds of the depression can often be traced back to before the birth

The birth may have been completely different from what you and your partner had originally wanted, leaving unanswered questions and unresolved emotions such as anger and confusion

Early breastfeeding difficulties can sometimes prompt strong feelings of failure and guilt, which may then contribute to the onset of PND

For some mothers, there may also be a tendency for depression in their genetic makeup. A general rule of thumb applied by psychiatrists is that the more severe the bout of postnatal depression, the more likely it is that the origins could be hereditary

Common stress factors in other types of depression, such as the death of someone close, a change of job (or partner’s job), divorce or separation, or a house move, are also seen as potential causes

Poor social conditions, such as unemployment and bad housing, are thought to have an effect