Postpartum Depression: How Can A Husband Help?

Описание: If my wife has postpartum depression, how can I help her? Megan Johnson, a co-founder of The Emily Effect, shares some words of advice for spouses of loved ones who are struggling with postpartum depression.

LEARN more about The Emily Effect at http://www.theemilyeffect.org

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TRANSCRIPT of Video:

You know, if a husband is noticing some of these symptoms in his wife and is concerned about her—first it's being a caring and supportive person who she can talk to.

What's really hard for these women when they're struggling this way is: If they're having these thoughts that are—that are intrusive, even bizarre to them—they feel a lot of shame in that and it's very difficult to talk—for them to talk to somebody about it. Especially with somebody that they love because they're—they're so confused by it and even ashamed by it.

And so, you know, as a husband maybe ask those gentle questions of simply, you know: "How are you doing? This has been a big change for us." Or, you know: "I'm just noticing that you're seeming a little down or not like yourself—you know—what can I do to help?" And to ask those kind of questions to get her talking, you know.

And I think, you know, something that I do as a therapist and I think that is even okay to do as a family, you know: "I've learned some more about postpartum depression and things that can happen when—when you have a baby and sometimes you can have thoughts that are unusual, or that are scary, you know? Have you experienced that, yet?"

I think that sometimes, just to ask those straightforward questions—because they're in their mind, they're experiencing something that they've never experienced before and it's very confusing and very difficult for them. But to even be asked the question kind of normalizes it a little bit, saying: "You know, I've heard that this can happen. Have you experienced that?"

And then as she talks to you simply to listen and simply to listen for feelings and to validate those feelings and to acknowledge how scary or unusual that that must be for them.

And, you know, it's not always about maybe having the solutions right away—but I think just having somebody safe to talk to and that can understand and to be with them in it. And then from there they're going to feel more safe in taking those additional steps to getting help.

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