Struggling with Postnatal depression? Morency can help

What is Postnatal depression?

Postnatal (or postpartum) depression differs from other forms of depression in that it’s onset is always associated with having a new baby within the past year. Symptoms are similar to other forms of depression and include:

  • Depressed mood / extreme sadness
  • Loss of interest in activities
  • Hopelessness
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Fatigue
  • Lack of care for the baby and oneself, or thoughts of harming the baby or oneself
  • A sense of dread or feelings of fear or anxiety
  • Feeling disconnected from loved ones and the new baby
  • Feeling guilty or ashamed,
  • A change in appetite and / or sleeping pattern
  • Difficulties bonding with baby

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Coping with teenage self-harm

Following on from our previous blog on exam stress, this blog considers self-harm which is a strategy that some teenagers use to manage difficult situations, including exam stress. At Morency, support can be offered to both individuals who are self-harming and their parents, if required.

What is self-harm?

Self-harming behaviours are any behaviours which cause deliberate physical harm to oneself. Often this can take the form of cutting the skin, however, burning, hair-pulling, scratching and taking substances or poisons are also forms of self-harm. Self-harming behaviours are not usually related to a desire to end one’s life, nor are the individuals ‘attention seeking’. Instead, such behaviours are often a way of coping with overwhelming emotions.

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