Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Symptoms

What does it feel like to have postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety? What are the signs and symptoms? How do you know you have it? And if you do have it, what should you do? We’re happy to explain, using words that make sense. When you read the two different symptom lists on the following pages, one for postpartum depression and the other for postpartum anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, please remember a few very important things:

1. You may not have all of the symptoms listed or even most of them. Postpartum depression and anxiety are not “one-size-fits-all” illnesses.
2. We all have bad days. Postpartum depression and anxiety are not just bad days. Women with postpartum depression or anxiety have symptoms like the ones listed much of the time for a period of at least two weeks or longer, and these symptoms make it very hard to live and enjoy your life each day.
3. Postpartum depression and anxiety are sometimes “comorbid.” This means you can have a bit of both or all of both. If you have symptoms on both lists, that’s not unusual.