Britney Spears Believes She is Suffering from Postpartum Depression

Britney Spears has informed family and friends that she does not need to receive treatment for alcohol and drugs. Instead, she needs help for Postpartum Depression.

Sources reveal that Spears is convinced that she is suffering from postpartum depression. She does not think that she has a drug or alcohol problem. However, her family and friends disagree.

Recent reports about Spears' stay at Promises Rehab mention that the singer is not following the rules and thinks that she deserves special treatment due to her celebrity status. Spears has been making cell phone calls and has even left the facility to shop.

Spears is determined to leave early but with her husband, Kevin Federline, holding the custody issue over her head until she completes treatment, the singer is taking her stay one day at a time.

With two children under the age of 2, postpartum depression has been suspected as the cause for Spears' recent behavior. Her first son, Sean Preston, was born on September 14, 2005. Her second son, Jayden James, was born on September 12, 2006.

About Postpartum Depression

Depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression or peripartum depression. After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger symptoms of depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in a woman's body increases greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels. Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman's moods before she gets her menstrual period.

Occasionally, levels of thyroid hormones may also drop after giving birth. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that helps to regulate your metabolism (how your body uses and stores energy from food). Low thyroid levels can cause symptoms of depression including depressed mood, decreased interest in things, irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and weight gain. A simple blood test can tell if this condition is causing a woman's depression. If so, thyroid medicine can be prescribed by a doctor.

Other factors that may contribute to postpartum depression include:

• Feeling tired after delivery, broken sleep patterns, and not enough rest often keeps a new mother from regaining her full strength for weeks.
  
• Feeling overwhelmed with a new, or another, baby to take care of and doubting your ability to be a good mother.
  
• Feeling stress from changes in work and home routines. Sometimes, women think they have to be "super mom" or perfect, which is not realistic and can add stress.
  
• Having feelings of loss - loss of identity of who you are, or were, before having the baby, loss of control, loss of your pre-pregnancy figure, and feeling less attractive.
  
• Having less free time and less control over time. Having to stay home indoors for longer periods of time and having less time to spend with the your partner and loved ones.
  

Any of these symptoms during and after pregnancy that last longer than two weeks are signs of depression:

• Feeling restless or irritable
  
• Feeling sad, hopeless, and overwhelmed
  
• Crying a lot
  
• Having no energy or motivation
  
• Eating too little or too much
  
• Sleeping too little or too much
  
• Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions
  
• Feeling worthless and guilty
  
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities
  
• Withdrawal from friends and family
  
• Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart beating fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing)
  

After pregnancy, signs of depression may also include being afraid of hurting the baby or oneself and not having any interest in the baby.

SOURCE:
Hollywood.com (http://www.hollywood.com)
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org)