When Jenna Carberg’s newborn daughter was placed on her chest immediately following delivery, something felt wrong.
“I felt a disconnect right away,” she remembered.
Back at her Orlando, Florida home, Carberg found herself crying daily while battling overwhelming exhaustion and anxiety. Medical professionals later determined she was suffering from postpartum depression — a serious mental health condition that can transform what should be a happy period into one filled with overwhelming sadness.
This mental health challenge is becoming increasingly common. Research published in 2024 in JAMA Network Open revealed that rates in the United States have more than doubled over approximately ten years, rising from 9.4% in 2010 to 19% in 2021. This increase is attributed in part to better screening methods and improved diagnostic practices.
Distinguishing this condition from the much less severe and more widespread “baby blues” caused by dropping hormone levels can be challenging. However, identifying and addressing postpartum depression is essential, according to OB-GYN Dr. Tiffany Moore Simas from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
Women who don’t receive treatment may struggle to form bonds with their infants and have difficulty providing proper care. Additionally, they face a heightened risk of taking their own lives.
“A healthy you will ultimately be important for a healthy baby,” Moore Simas explained.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
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Approximately 8 out of 10 new mothers experience baby blues, which typically begins soon after giving birth.
“Moms will feel kind of more emotional than normal,” explained Dr. Jennifer Payne, a reproductive psychiatry specialist at the University of Virginia.
However, the emotional outbursts and sad feelings aren’t intense enough to disrupt daily functioning. Mothers should remain capable of taking care of both themselves and their newborns.
Assessment tools can help determine whether the situation is more concerning. A frequently used 10-question survey, typically administered during a postpartum visit, evaluates how frequently a mother has experienced emotions like sadness, panic, or anxiety. An elevated score suggests the need for additional assessment.
Medical professionals say postpartum depression doesn’t have a single root cause. Hereditary factors, bodily changes, and psychological stress may all play a role.
“We’re pretty sure that having a case of the baby blues doesn’t increase your risk of postpartum depression,” Payne noted. “But it does seem that both conditions can develop in the same person.”
When sadness persists beyond two weeks, that serves as one warning sign.
Additional symptoms include overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, lack of interest, guilt and worthlessness, fatigue, and reduced focus and appetite. Mothers might constantly fret about their infants, experience insomnia, or go without bathing for extended periods.
They “feel negatively and badly about themselves. They’ll feel that they’re a bad mother. They might not feel attached to the baby very much,” Payne described.
Some may even consider harming themselves.
Carberg, whose daughter was born in 2016, experienced such thoughts on multiple occasions — including once while driving with her child. She spent several days at a psychiatric treatment center and showed improvement temporarily.
However, she later experienced a serious mental health crisis. She sent apologetic text messages to her husband, Chris, before shutting off her phone. Chris frantically attempted to contact her, fearing she might harm herself.
“She luckily went to the hospital ER,” he recalled.
Eventually, discovering the appropriate medication became crucial for Jenna Carberg’s healing process.
“I felt like myself again,” she shared after beginning treatment with the stimulant Vyvanse.
Additional treatment options include antidepressant medications like Zoloft or Prozac, or Zurzuvae, the first oral medication specifically approved for postpartum depression. Counseling represents another standard approach, and medical professionals emphasize the significance of adequate rest and support from loved ones.
To assist others facing similar challenges, the Carbergs created an online resource — postpartumdepression.org — designed to offer support and connect patients with professional assistance.
Medical professionals recommend that anyone suspecting they or someone they care about might have postpartum depression should contact their OB-GYN, primary care physician, or mental health specialist.
When needed, be assertive, advised Dr. Kerry Hudson, an OB-GYN at Newport Women’s Health Services in Rhode Island. When she experienced postpartum depression twenty years ago, her physician dismissed her concerns, claiming she was simply an overwhelmed medical resident. She eventually received help after having an emotional breakdown during a professional presentation in front of coworkers.
Following therapy and medication treatment, Hudson went on to have another child. The Carbergs also had a second baby. Everyone is thriving now.
“When we get people help, I think they can have a good future ahead of them,” Hudson stated. “You don’t have to suffer in silence.”
