Depression's many faces now
affecting new moms

As a new mom Tina Nikolaou, with her daughter Varvara, understands why postpartum depression has registered a significant increase at the Centre. CCC will offer a free, confidential depression screening service on Oct. 8, 2009.

With an ideal and uncomplicated pregnancy, Tina Nikolaou, a resident at Calgary Counselling Centre, was a little worried about the delivery of her first child. Thankfully her daughter was born happy and healthy. Tina’s stress and fears moved from having the baby, to other common new mom worries, "will I be a good mom and how will having a child impact my life?"

Tina learned of the possibility of postpartum depression and how it differs from “baby blues” at the pre-natal classes she attended throughout her pregnancy. She also learned the importance of having a strong support network. So far, with a two year old daughter and a busy life managing her residency at Calgary Counselling Centre, Tina is happy to report she did not suffer from this debilitating illness.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, postpartum depression tends to be under reported. Estimates of its occurrence range from three per cent to 20 per cent of births. It is only recently that Calgary Counselling Centre has had clients specifically request postpartum depression counselling. The numbers are still small but have increased in the last three years. Because of increased demands, Robbie Babins-Wagner, CEO expects the number of cases in 2009 to double those of last year.

To mitigate postpartum depression symptoms, Tina suggests building a support network from the time you find out you’re expecting. Attending pre-natal classes is a good way to learn about postpartum depression and meet other women who are experiencing the same emotions and feelings you are.

“Support is huge and a lot of people don’t have systems in place,” says Tina. “If you don’t have someone to talk to and you can’t reach out to somebody, who do you have? It’s easy to get into a cycle of negative thinking and very difficult to get out of it.”

Depression is a medical condition and like any other medical condition, it requires treatment. The good news is depression is the most treatable of mental illnesses. Help is the key:
80 per cent of people with depression can recover if they get help.

Depression counselling has always been one of the most requested services at Calgary Counselling Centre. The Centre is a leading provider of depression treatment in Calgary, offering programs for men, women and youth who suffer from the illness. Depression programs at Calgary Counselling Centre include a group program for adult men and women, and a group program for teenagers experiencing depression.

Calgary Counselling Centre is proud to offer a free online depression screening test to anyone who visits our web site on National Depression Screening Day – Oct. 8, 2009.

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