Benefits of CBT for prenatal depression
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be an effective therapy for women suffering from prenatal depression. The Daily Mail recently told the story of public relations executive Tina Barrett who suffered from prenatal depression for the whole nine months of her pregnancy. Thirty-two year old Tina was quoted as saying:
"I just wanted to shut myself away from the world. The pregnancy wasn't planned. Ideally we'd have waited a few more years, but Craig - a graphic designer - and I wanted a family and we didn't even consider not having the child. But I couldn't understand why I didn't feel as ecstatic as everyone around me, why something just didn't feel right. I didn't want to look at the pregnancy books people gave me or go to ante-natal classes. I've always been an optimistic person, but once I became pregnant I didn't feel like me any more."
Prenatal depression, also known as antenatal depression, is experienced by just as many women as postnatal depression, yet is relatively unrecognised. Half of these sufferers also go on to suffer from postnatal depression. In severe cases, some develop psychotic tendencies and potentially that can place the baby at risk.
Many doctors recognise that treating a depressed, pregnant woman can pose certain problems as antidepressant drugs during pregnancy is not a good idea and this is where other treatments need to be explored. CBT is one of the treatments that can be highly effective and helps people to identify their behaviour issues and change their beliefs.
13/03/2009 | Posted in CBT, Psychotherapy,
How does hypnotherapy help childbirth?
Every pregnant woman wants a comfortable birth, swift recovery and a healthy baby - and many consider hypno-birthing. Here are the main ways that hypno-birthing can help with childbirth:
- relaxation – hypnotherapy will help the woman to relax and this gives greater bloodflow to the womb which helps birth.
- overcome fear – pregnant women hear a lot of horror stories about what can happen and this can cause increasing anxiety. Fear can really change a birth as it causes tension, restricts blood flow and hence increases pain; so hypnosis can help a woman to stop being so fearful and have a more natural birth.
- relaxes the baby – if mum is relaxed so is baby; on the other side of the coin, a tense mother releases adrenalin and hormones into her blood stream which distresses the baby - and, if the baby is distressed, medical staff are more likely to intervene.
- postnatal recovery – if mum is relaxed and blood flow is increased, then the blood flow will help tissue recovery and give a good milk supply; stress is known to restrict milk production so a mother who has had hypnotherapy has a headstart.
Hypno-birthing is becoming more popular with women having weekly sessions leading up to the birth.
06/11/2008 | Posted in Hypnotherapy, Hypno-birthing,
Are we handling depression incorrectly?
An article in the Daily Mail last week talked about how using the wrong drugs could actually be causing depression rather than helping it. There has been some concern in the media recently that family doctors diagnose depression too easily - for example when we feel tired and find it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
According to a new book by Professor Jane Plant, a London University College scientist, called Beating Stress, Anxiety and Depression, many of the two million people in the UK who take antidepressants are actually misdiagnosed.
"A study by an American psychiatrist found that more than 10 per cent of patients diagnosed with mental illness are actually suffering from an underlying physical condition, such as a heart murmur or a mineral deficiency such as calcium or magnesium that causes depression-like symptoms," says Professor Plant.
Many believe that, within the NHS, there is too much emphasis on a one size fits all approach and feel that other methods should be taken into consideration, such as using alternatives where possible: counselling, psychotherapy and other forms of stress management.
For example, many people suffering from anxiety react well to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as this looks at their existing patterns of behaviours and triggers and trains them to react and think differently, so they can avoid anxiety at different situations. CBT is often combined with relaxation therapies, such as hypnotherapy, to make it even more effective. It's also a relatively quick therapy and there is no need for drugs.
However, even the alternative treatments should be considered for individual cases. For example, CBT would not be as helpful for someone with post-natal depression as this is considered a hormonal issue and is best treated by support, counselling or psychotherapy where needed. We live in a nation where we are sometimes too hasty to turn to drugs, our doctors are overworked and alternative treatments and therapies are often still overlooked by many.
16/06/2008 | Posted in Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Counselling, CBT,
