Integrate traditional chinese medicine with cognitive behavioural therapy to treat postpartum depression in chinese cultures.

Abstract

In nowadays, postpartum depression (PPD) has become the most typical complication after childbirth. It has been found that approximately 50-80% of women could be affected by maternal sadness and about 20% of those women develop postpartum depression. Thus, postpartum depression has become a significant public health problem worldwide. The seriousness of postpartum depression is it will not only affect maternal health but also could cause consequences to the child. It could affect child’s emotional and cognitive development in later life. There are number of therapies available to treat postpartum disorders, such as pharmacotherapy, hormone therapy, psychotherapy. And it has been found that the most effective treatment is the combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Typically antidepressants are used, but the safety of antidepressants has been concerned even though there are evidences supported their safeness. This kind of concern is much stronger in Chinese cultures. Women are expected to provide breastfeed after delivery. Taking drugs such as antidepressants will be strongly believed it’s harmful to child, as in Chinese cultures, it is believed that any kind of drug has certain degree of side effects. Under one-child policy in China, none of families would accept any risk to their baby. Even though, women may seek for help to treat postpartum depression, the effectiveness is doubted. In addition, lack of professional psychologists may make the situation worse. As a result, most to women suffering from postpartum disorders or depression left unwell treated. Solutions for this situation are urgently called. The relatively safeness, widely recognized and accepted could make traditional Chinese medicine as one of the possibilities, especially if it could be integrated with psychotherapies. This literature review provides another perspective to explain the possible causes of postpartum depression and suggested treatments by using traditional Chinese medicine theories.