Parental Depression: Moms Need Help Too

No matter how many children you have or how old they are, just being a mom is tough. Whether you are a single mom or even if you have the most supportive and wonderful husband or partner. Anyone can be affected by depression, but moms are affected more often than others. In fact, women are twice as likely to have depression than men. As a mother, we tend to ignore our feelings and our health because we have to worry about everyone else but the problem with that is, if something happens to us, those people who need our care will not have us to care for them anymore. So, it is essential that you talk to someone if you think you may have depression. 

How Do You Know if You Have Depression?

Let’s face it: we, as mothers, do not like to consider that there may be something wrong with us. We are “Super Moms” and nothing can stop us from our jobs of getting up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast, wake and feed everyone, make lunches, drive the kids to school, keep the baby happy while you do the grocery shopping, do the laundry, make dinner, pick up the kids from school, drive the kids to their soccer games and dance recitals, etc. Yes, it is a never-ending list of chores that you need to do every single day. And when you think you can relax on the weekends, you have to take the kids to their friend’s house, help with homework, do more laundry, make more breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do more shopping with the baby. That does not even include the work we do to make a living in between all of our chores. Wow, it is no wonder why women get depressed more than men! 

Symptoms of Depression

Although you may just be feeling overwhelmed (for good reason), what you are experiencing may be depression. Some of the most common symptoms of depression include:

• Lack of energy

• Feeling sad for longer than two weeks for no obvious reason

• Sleeping changes (sleeping more or less than usual)

• Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities

• Eating more than usual or lack of appetite

• Low self-esteem

• Chronic fatigue

• Avoiding friends and family

• Difficulty making decisions or concentrating

• Memory loss

• Feeling hopeless or empty

• More irritable than usual

• Thoughts of suicide

Talk to Someone

When you start feeling like you just do not care about anything and cannot drag yourself out of bed, it is past time to talk to someone. You need to get treatment because it really does help. It may be that you have a chemical imbalance or that your hormones are out of whack. Or it may be that you just need to talk to someone and work things out in your mind on how to deal with the feelings going on inside you. Whatever you need, believe it or not, you can feel better. Many people with depression think that the feelings will pass on its own or that nothing can help you. But, studies show that over 80% of those people with depression who get treatment felt better within one month. Don’t you want to feel better? It is time to talk to someone. At BetterHelp.com, they have over 2,000 licensed therapists, counselors, and psychologists available without an appointment. And you do not even have to leave your home so you can do it from bed or that favorite spot on the couch. So, what are you waiting for?


About the Author
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.