Psychological aspects of motherhood.

Since there was another thread about the thought of motherhood being oppressive, I thought I would go over the psychological disorders motherhood can cause. I will start with the ones that only refer to motherhood, meaning you have to have a child to suffer these:

Post partum depression:

Postpartum depression can make you feel restless, anxious, fatigued and worthless. Some new moms worry they will hurt themselves or their babies. Unlike the "baby blues," postpartum depression does not go away quickly. Very rarely, new moms develop something even more serious. They may stop eating, have trouble sleeping and become frantic or paranoid. Women with this condition usually need to be hospitalized.

source


post partum psychosis:

While it is the most extreme form of postpartum mood disorders, postpartum psychosis is also one of the rarest. Usually described as a period when a woman loses touch with reality, the disorder occurs in women who have recently given birth. It affects between one and two women per 1,000 women who have given birth.


Unfortunately, though many women with the disorder realize something is wrong with them, fewer than 20% actually speak to their healthcare provider. Sadder still is the fact that often postpartum psychosis is misdiagnosed or thought to be postpartum depression, thereby preventing a woman from receiving the appropriate medical attention that she needs.


Women who do receive proper treatment often respond well but usually experience postpartum depression before completely recovering. However, without treatment, the psychosis can lead to tragic consequences. Postpartum psychosis has a 5% suicide rate and a 4% infanticide rate.

source

munchausen by proxy:

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP), a type of factitious disorder, is a mental illness in which a person acts as if an individual he or she is caring for has a physical or mental illness when the person is not really sick. People with MSP assume the role of a sick person indirectly by producing or lying about illness in another person under their care, usually a child under 6 years of age. However, cases have been reported of adult victims of MSP. (The term "by proxy" means "through a substitute.")

People with MSP have an inner need for the other person (often his or her child) to be seen as ill or injured. It is not done to achieve a concrete benefit, such as financial gain.

source

Now the run of the mill ones...
anxiety disorders
depression
bipolarism
agoraphobia
PTSD
OCD
Schizophrenia
low self esteem
low self worth
Manic depressive
escapism
drug abuse
alcohol abuse
child abuse
mental abuse



And not to mention the physical affects it can have on the body which lead to many of those disorders listed.


It isn't pretty, is it?


Let me know if I missed any or other effects that can be deemed psychological.

[edit on 23-3-2010 by ldyserenity]

[edit on 23-3-2010 by ldyserenity]

Very interesting thread Idyserenity. Not too often have I thought of the problems which may come after motherhood is achieved. I did take a childrens class something like three years ago and it explained a few of the disorders.

It can be tragic the risks of becoming a mother. In fact, do you think that the older a woman is, the lesser these effects are? Maybe it is a good reason why they insist on being careful with sex until you are older. Someone should definitely see if there's any sort of records dealing with age-symptom relation in this subject.

Thanks though for opening the topic to me! Very interesting.

Thank you for this post.

The entire ordeal is extremely traumatic as it is, and it's a shame when such an experience throws someone's entire world upside down.

Breeding is not just bad for the environment, but it is bad for the individual.

It's understandable that the experience can cause extreme mental and psychological distress. The new creature demands 90% of ones' time - Seems to be unconscious and incapable of anything but violent screaming for many months - It's a very lonely and traumatizing time. I don't know how people come through it WITHOUT mental disorders.

Here's a fact you missed, having a child is not required of you. In fact, if you truly hold any of these fears above the joy of being a parent, do not have a child. If you can't handle living your own life, do not bring another one into the world.

Originally posted by TeddiRevolution
Here's a fact you missed, having a child is not required of you.

And it was not required of you to go off topic. This is not about whether or not someone is required to do this or that.

Rather, this is what COULD happen, when you choose to be a mom. This is something to keep in mind, and that it is OK to ask for help if it DOES.

Mods, I seriously think Teddi's post was an off-topic. Lol NOTHING to do with the topic at-hand.

Originally posted by LostNemesis


And it was not required of you to go off topic.

Mods, I seriously think Teddi's post was an off-topic. Lol NOTHING to do with the topic at-hand.

Oh, that is a very feminine response Nemesis.

Anything you don't agree with 100% is off topic, eh ?

You want people to feel sorry for you, and when they don't you get angry.

reply to post by Silver Shadow


No pity party needed. Post Partum Depression is real. And who said I did not agree with someone? I don't know where you are getting your information.

But I urge you and Teddi to make a thread detailing how nobody has ever suffered ill effects from parenthood, and how we are not allowed or able to experience ill effects, because nobody forced parenthood upon us.

Go ahead, you guys will have a great time, and it will be on topic.

Please read the OP again, it is about psychological issues that CAN and DO arise, from being a new parent.

Again, feel free to make that opposing thread about how Post Partum Depression is a myth because nobody has been forced to be a parent.

Originally posted by LostNemesis Post Partum Depression is real. And who said I did not agree with someone? I don't know where you are getting your information.

1/ Never said it was not real, never even mentioned PPD.

2/ You said you did not agree with Teddi, claimed Teddi was right off topic.

3/ I am getting my information directly from the words you post in this thread.

Originally posted by Silver Shadow
2/ You said you did not agree with Teddi, claimed Teddi was right off topic.

3/ I am getting my information directly from the words you post in this thread.

I am trying to find where I told Teddi that I disagreed with him/her/it.

I actually agree that mentally insane people should probably NOT be breeding. However, YOU also mis-read the OP. It is about parenthood being the CAUSE of such psychological issues.

So Teddi's logic was QUITE wrong. Teddi's logic, that you might be defending (not sure WHAT you are doing honestly, except trying to throw insults *ahem*), was that mentally ill people should not breed. I did not disagree.
However, here is where Teddi's logic is flawed: The OP is pointing out psychological issues CAUSED by parenthood. For the most part, people cannot foresee these issues ahead of time. And they can not go back and UNDO the pregnancy........ Regardless of whether they were 'required' to have it or not.

I think I am done now. You can continue throwing your fuzzy logic amongst each other... I feel like it's redundant, trying to explain logic to a wall.

Maybe I am the one that misunderstood OP's post.
*sarcasm off*

Originally posted by LostNemesis

I am trying to find where I told Teddi that I disagreed with him/her/it.

So Teddi's logic was QUITE wrong.

See, you just answered your own question.

Originally posted by LostNemesis

Originally posted by Silver Shadow
2/ You said you did not agree with Teddi, claimed Teddi was right off topic.

3/ I am getting my information directly from the words you post in this thread.

I am trying to find where I told Teddi that I disagreed with him/her/it.

I actually agree that mentally insane people should probably NOT be breeding. However, YOU also mis-read the OP. It is about parenthood being the CAUSE of such psychological issues.

So Teddi's logic was QUITE wrong. Teddi's logic, that you might be defending (not sure WHAT you are doing honestly, except trying to throw insults *ahem*), was that mentally ill people should not breed. I did not disagree.
However, here is where Teddi's logic is flawed: The OP is pointing out psychological issues CAUSED by parenthood. For the most part, people cannot foresee these issues ahead of time. And they can not go back and UNDO the pregnancy........ Regardless of whether they were 'required' to have it or not.

I think I am done now. You can continue throwing your fuzzy logic amongst each other... I feel like it's redundant, trying to explain logic to a wall.

Maybe I am the one that misunderstood OP's post.

*sarcasm off*

No you were correct in your reading it correctly.

It has long been known that there are higher cases of post delivery onsets of mainly schizophrenia, but also several of the others I mentioned have their onset upon pregnancy or delivery. However PTSD is mainly experienced by Mothers whom have lost their child tragically, because of their love for this child they lost.

I thank you for the replies and flag/stars.

I thought it was a good to inform people about the psychological effects that can happen. And I agree, it's very nearly unbeleivable that there are any sane mothers...lol.

Wow thats quite alot. But some of those you can get even if you dont have a child. As for me, I developed anxiety after having my baby. But after a year it went away thank god. I would barely be able to go to the grocery store because the lights were bright and I felt like people were staring at me. And I would get panic attacks all day long, which was also due to my cousin dieing shortly before I came pregnant.

Thanks for bringing all that to light though.

Alot of people dont realize, how much an effect it has on you. And I didnt realize it either. People use to tell me "You have no idea how much you can love your child until you have one" and I thought I knew but I had no idea. You really have to experience it to know. But ive never regretted it. My life was made much better after having my son and thank god for it everyday.

Originally posted by TeddiRevolution
Here's a fact you missed, having a child is not required of you. In fact, if you truly hold any of these fears above the joy of being a parent, do not have a child. If you can't handle living your own life, do not bring another one into the world.

I came to this thread to speak some reason, and I'm glad you beat me to it Star for you

Originally posted by LostNemesis

The entire ordeal is extremely traumatic as it is, and it's a shame when such an experience throws someone's entire world upside down.

Breeding is not just bad for the environment, but it is bad for the individual.

This is a bunch of lies. Are you a parent? Probably not.

The reality is that a vast majority of people see parenthood as an overwhelmingly positive thing. It enriches people's lives like nothing else can.

And saying "breeding is bad for the individual" is just foolish. Without breeding there would be no individual, you selfish git.

Originally posted by krunchy

Originally posted by LostNemesis

The entire ordeal is extremely traumatic as it is, and it's a shame when such an experience throws someone's entire world upside down.

Breeding is not just bad for the environment, but it is bad for the individual.

This is a bunch of lies. Are you a parent? Probably not.

The reality is that a vast majority of people see parenthood as an overwhelmingly positive thing. It enriches people's lives like nothing else can.

And saying "breeding is bad for the individual" is just foolish. Without breeding there would be no individual, you selfish git.

It can be for many people it is a tremendous joy, even those who do suffer these psychological setbacks. Certainly, nobody has denied that. It's just the point of how much it can do to a person psychologically, mostly because of their genetic makeup and the hormones interacting with it.

A lot of people are lucky and many are not. But, it is a wonder they go through it at all sometimes.

So to all the Mothers AND Fathers out there, for no other reason than to show my thanks, Thank you... you keep the species alive.
And YES I am a mother, one whom has had several of those problems mentioned in my first post:
Anxiety, mostly while I worked and I didn't like that the kids were in daycare, before that only family would babysit, but the one who did it, my aunt, moved so I had to put them in daycare.
Depression: when I lost work because I couldn't provide to the lifestyle they became accustomed and also lost housing, etc, etc.
And OCD because I want to protect them from negative influences, viruses and disease, low self image, and a myriad of other things ...

As per my own personal experience I never had any of these things before I had children.
And it was mainly all because I wanted the best in life for them and that to me then meant material, but now I see what I did give them, my love and attention meant a whole lot more, even though they still do whine sometimes about not having certain material things, they know it aint for lack of their parents trying!

[edit on 23-3-2010 by ldyserenity]

If I learned anything from TCM...

"YOU'RE HYSTERICAL!"

...We all know what happens next.

ugh i understand where your coming from because being a new mom myself i have some of those "problems" but i hate the fact that everything these days is labeled. People can't have feelings anymore without it being a clinical issue. Of course your going to have doubts, anxiety, and mood swings cause ya just pushed a baby out your vagg into this crazy world. if you expect rose colored glasses than i'd love to know what your on...

reply to post by lalatheterrible


You put that rather bluntly, and though I don't know what it's like to be a mother and never will, I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

reply to post by krunchy


Yeah, the people on here that talk about breeding like it's some awful burden just haven't yet come to understand the duality of human life. Some only see the detriment, some only see the beauty, however there is a duality.

reply to post by lalatheterrible


I completely agree! It always has to be labeled a disorder. After going through something like that theres going to be alot of emotions and that doesnt mean you have have a bunch of mental illnesses, it means thats LIFE. Im so glad someone said it.