Is it Postpartum Depression, or a Thyroid Condition?
Thursday April 20, 2006
Both Brooke Shields and Katie Holmes -- Tom Cruise's fiancee -- delivered their babies this past Tuesday. An interesting coincidence, because Tom and Brooke also have in common a very public feud they conducted last year, after Cruise accused Shields of being "irresponsible" for using antidepressants to treat the severe postpartum depression she suffered after the birth of her first child. I like how the Mercury News sums it all up, saying: "Who would've known that, the same day the patron saint of the drug-free manic became a father again, so would his arch-nemesis, the evil queen of mind-altered, postpartum depression-recovery." Tom Cruise may disagree, but postpartum depression, also known as PPD, is a very real condition, affecting as many as one in ten women who give birth, and it requires treatment. But what many women don't know is that another condition -- postpartum thyroid disease -- is equally as common, and may actually be the underlying cause of the PPD in some women.
Photo courtesy of RIE
Comments
dear mary,
if there’s one thing in life i’ve learned, it’s don’t judge someone unless you’ve walked in their shoes. i know many years ago i had to put my 2 cents in about someone i knew who was depressed. i didn’t understand it, so i had some negative comments about anti-depressants. well about a year after that i became clinicly depressed, and gladly took the zoloft that was precribed for me. depression can be a dibilitating illness, something i would not wish on anyone. i also now have hashimoto and i am suffering from depression again and just started thyroid meds. maybe i’m going out on a limb by saying, that if tom cruise woke up with severe depression, he’d be screaming for some prozac. kelly
First of all, Mary, thanks for allowing the comments. I’ve just become a “Shomonist” about a week ago, and I’m glad to have the chance to learn from you.
Next, thanks for pointing out that many disorders can “feel like” depression, even if they can be attributed to other causes. This advice could extend out past post-partum depression into other depressive states, as well. We might want to include insulin resistance in there, as the compulsive carb attacks it can precipitate can lead to low energy and low blood sugar. These symptoms could conceivably be interpreted as depression by patients or their doctors.
And, while we’re on the topic, let’s just ding Tom Cruise again for his callous remarks about PPD.
I could never understand why if she suffered from a sudden drop of hormones they gave her Paxil to “deal with it” instead of bioidentical hormones and/or thyroid supplementation. Used to be that thyroid treatment was given to women after miscarriage. . .not anymore. Antidepressants are DANGEROUS and I will never take them under any circumstances. Nice that Ms. Shields can smile with it–I hope someone eventually gives her real treatment instead of physiologically incompatible chemicals.