Women can have the same mental health conditions that men do. But women's chemistry, hormones, and life circumstances often make them more at risk for certain behavioral health conditions.
For example, anxiety and depression can find you in any stage of life. But they are particularly common around pregnancy and postpartum, due to changing hormone levels.
With UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital treats many mental health conditions in women.
If you're struggling with any type of mental health condition, don't hesitate to call our team of experts for help at 412-641-1238.
A mood disorder, such as depression, is more than a fleeting feeling of being down. Rather, it can feel like a constant weight of sadness, fatigue, and hopelessness.
We screen all pregnant and postpartum women for mood disorders, including:
We all have anxiety from time to time. But an anxiety disorder means it doesn't go away and interferes with your day-to-day life. Your situation or environment may or may not trigger feelings of anxiety.
Pregnancy and postpartum can increase anxiety disorder symptoms in some women.
Along with emotional symptoms, an anxiety attack can also cause:
It's common for new moms to have intrusive, sometimes disturbing, thoughts. Postpartum intrusive thoughts commonly involve infant harm, most often caused by hormone changes.
They can include the new mother thinking that:
Though scary, these thoughts do not increase the chances you will harm your baby.
But it's vital to let your doctor or ob-gyn know if you have intrusive thoughts, as they can hinder mother-child bonding.
Postpartum intrusive thoughts can be a symptom of OCD.
Symptoms of OCD are repeated:
OCD symptoms often are more severe or occur for the first time during pregnancy.
These types of conditions cause people to become confused about reality. A person with psychosis may hallucinate or have fantastical beliefs or delusions.
Women with bipolar disorder are at an increased risk for psychotic episodes during and after pregnancy.
If you're having psychotic thoughts, have a psychiatrist assess you right away for both you and your baby's health.
A traumatic event can affect you deeply. It can cause anxiety and fear, which can interfere with normal life. At UPMC, we use a careful approach to trauma in our care settings.
Some causes of trauma include:
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur later and cause flashbacks, nightmares, and always feeling on edge.
Substance use and misuse mean using legal or illegal drugs repeatedly in a manner not prescribed.
This can cause you to form an addiction to:
Eating disorders can happen at any age, though they are more common among young women.
A person with an eating disorder forms an unhealthy relationship with food, resulting in harmful and potentially life-threatening behaviors.
The most common eating disorders include:
If you're experiencing any type of mental health condition, don't hesitate to call our team of experts for help at 412-641-1238.
Magee-Womens Behavioral Health Services
UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
300 Halket St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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