The Accountant-May-June 2017

SOCIETY
immediate family members and close
friends. With a good support system,
the patients are known to recover much
faster. As family and caregivers, offering
emotional support, assisting with daily
tasks such as caring for the baby or the
home, sympathetic listening, patience,
affection, being positive and creating a
less stressing environment contributes
massively to the patients healing process.
The patient needs to also play a part in
accelerating his/her treatment through;
• Healthy lifestyle choices: Make
exercises part of his/her daily routine, get
adequate rest. Eat healthy foods and avoid
drugs and alcohol.
• Opening up: Talk about their feelings
with family and friends. Join a support
group and hear about the stories of other
parents and how they are coping.
• Set aside some self-time: Take time to
do what they love/enjoy (can be going
shopping or going for a movie or anything
else they like).
• Be realistic: Scale back their expectations
and just do what they can
• Ask and accept help: Let people close
to them know when they need help and
take them up on when they offer. This
gives them time to relax and engage in
other activities.
In instances of untreated postpartum
depression in either the mother or father,
children are the most affected. It is almost
impossible for the depressed parent to give
their child attention, affection, discipline
or even playtime. Thus, the baby may end
up being anxious, fearful, withdrawn,
whiny, and may even stop reacting to
people at all. The baby is likely to have
emotional and behavioral problems,
such as sleeping and eating difficulties,
excessive crying, and attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder. They may also
delay in developing a language.
Untreated depression in one’s partner
may lead them into depression and mood
stability issues. It is not easy supporting
a depressed person and being the persons
closest to them, their spouses are likely to
suffer the same.
For the depressed persons, untreated
postpartum depression can end up as a
chronic depressive disorder especially if it
lasts long. Even when treated, it increases
their risk of future incidences of major
depression.
The societal stigma associated with
depression remains high especially in
Kenya and creating awareness is part of
dealing with it. Most parents feel shamed
when they do not feel the excitement of
having a new born. They feel they are
not good parents and beat themselves up
instead of seeking medical attention. The
only way to raise a psychologically healthy
family is if the parents are psychologically
healthy themselves.
Think of the family as one entity. If
one part is sick, the whole suffers, and the
emphasis should be on healing the sick
part.
Let us all remember, the best way to
take care of our babies is to take care of
ourselves.
52 MAY - JUNE 2017