What is depression? What causes it? We are talking about everything related to depression, especially as it relates to fertility and pregnancy. I guarantee that today’s show will challenge your thinking in so many ways about depression.
When I used to work in clinical psychology, I was always drawn to the work around depression, grief, and mourning. There are different perspectives on depression and many models that try to explain depression. It wasn’t until I went through infertility and high-risk pregnancy and delved into the field of psychoneuroimmunology that I realized that we seek to treat depression in a way that doesn’t actually treat depression. We slap a Band-Aid on the problem without getting to the root of the problem.
Episode highlights...
Depression is closely tied to the stress response that our physical bodies have, and sometimes the symptoms are subtle and not easily recognized
The stress response is a good thing that protects us and is not just an emotional response, but a response of the nervous, hormonal, and immune systems
We need to shut down the stress response and turn on the relaxation response
Depression is related to the stress response because it affects and compromises the immune system and we get sick a lot
Some changes to our immune system show up as symptoms of depression
Psychosomatic symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong
My personal story of my mood and stress response while pregnant
Why I seek to find and treat the physical aspects of depression and not simply the cognitive aspects
Body symptoms, low mood, frequent sickness, aches and pains, digestive problems, and feelings of “being off,” are all connected to your stress response
Quick highlights of the current research on the link between depression, fertility problems, and pregnancy risk
The impact of community support, social support, and partner support
Don’t waste another day in suffering!
Getting help for depression is a deeply personal decision. There is no reason for you to continue to suffer with depression because help is available. Taking advantage of that help is the best decision you can make for you and your family.
Resources from the show...
Get your copy of Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy (Read Now)
What you need to know about stress and the mind-body connection (Listen now)
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