Available Health Services For Postpartum Mothers
Woman healthcare is an integral aspect of public health. Women face numerous challenges that undermine their well-being. Besides their gender-based socio-economic challenges, women are predisposed to health issues that undermine their well-being. As such, this article focuses on women's healthcare services concerning postpartum depression. The Office on Women's Health estimates that one in nine new parents who give birth face postpartum depression, necessitating quality healthcare services to mitigate its implication on them and their children. Below, a detailed discussion of psychological interventions integrated into women's healthcare to manage postpartum depression is provided.
Intervention #1: Interpersonal Therapy
Woman's healthcare clinics treating postpartum depression employ licensed mental health professionals who understand the risk factors, etiology, and management of postpartum depression using IPT. The intervention abbreviated as IPT is often offered as an outpatient treatment. Women enrolled in the treatment receive guidance concerning interpersonal relations and attachment issues affecting their relationships with their infants. IPT aims at orienting mothers' stress response so that it does not result in alienating their newborns. As such, women and other parents who receive IPT may exhibit improved interpersonal relationships. Thus, patients at risk of postpartum depression should visit women healthcare services for effective IPT treatment.
Intervention #2: Cognitive Behavioral Theory
Woman's healthcare clinics may also provide cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) as a remedy for postpartum depression. The intervention is founded on the assertion that people's perception influences their response, attitude, and actions. Postpartum depression often negatively impacts a person's perception of their newborns or new status as parents. Thus, the negative perception may lead to undesired responses against their children, including neglect and mistreatment. As such, mental health practitioners providing healthcare services guide new parents who have given birth to change their negative perceptions of their children. Positive cognitive and behavioral changes reduce patients' depressive symptoms, improving infant-parent relationships.
Intervention #3: Scheduled Postpartum Home Visits
Whereas IPT and CBT may require patients to visit hospitals, woman healthcare clinics also offer home visit services for people who have given birth and who now have postpartum depression. Patients are allocated mental health experts who visit them regularly to evaluate the depression scores and offer general non-pharmacological interventions based on their prognoses. Healthcare services incorporating home visits are convenient for patients who may lack transport means or those recovering from surgical procedures. Parents work with professionals to mitigate their depressive symptoms, reducing the implications on their infants. Overall, new parents who gave birth should seek woman healthcare services to take care of their postpartum depression.
