Watson's Caring Theory on Postpartum Disorder Essay

Watson's Caring Theory on Postpartum Disorder - Essay Example The idea is to inform nursing practice and to ensure the best possible care for patients. This paper will explore Jane Watson’s philosophy and science of caring theory. The structure of this paper will begin with the description of the medical condition and is followed by a discussion of the nursing theory and its application. Medical Condition: The Postpartum Disorder The postpartum depression also called as Baby Blues (depending on the severity of the condition) was one of the topics considered for this paper along with other conditions relating to newborn infants. The decision to focus on the disorder stem from the fact that it is quite prevalent but often left untreated or undiagnosed, hence, often misunderstood from the point of view of healthcare providers. Recent statistics show that at least 400,000 women in the United States suffer from postpartum disorder annually and that one in four first time mothers experience the illness (Johnson, 2003, p.141). According to Rose nfield (2006), "after their follow-up gynecologist examination, the only contact most women will have with medical providers during the postpartum year is at their baby's well child examination," and that "the concept of pediatricians screening for postpartum depression has not caught on widely so diagnosis at these visits is unlikely" (p.61). In addition, postpartum symptoms are often considered subclinical, cross-cultural and are associated or misunderstood as other medical and psychological conditions such as "marital dissatisfaction, lack of social support, personality characteristics, family history of depression, and autoimmune thyroid disease" (Cooper, 2007, p.35). So what exactly is postpartum disorder? To illustrate the experience, severity and trends about postpartum disorder, a mother's experience and view is cited below: PPP (postpartum psychosis) was the worse experience of my life... I lost the joy of new motherhood. I lost "me" for the first two years of my daughter's life and even longer to put the pieces together (Twomey, 2009, p.xv). The above account demonstrates the impact of postpartum disorder. This is highlighted by the fact that, for years, the condition has been largely ignored. Today, it is considered and widely known as a mental disease that could endanger the lives of both the mother and the baby. There is no specific or standard definition for postpartum disorder. This is at least true according to the available literature on the subject. There are those who identify the depression experienced by women after giving birth as the basic symptom for the disorder. Out of these, Taeusch et al., (2005) offered a comprehensive definition by explaining that postpartum depression is characterized by "significant distress or impairment in all areas of functioning" that are not medically induced or caused by a loss of a loved one (p.96). Heath further cited that the disorder manifests within 3 to 6 months after giving birth (p.96). Some studie s have recorded longer periods such as the previous example cited by Twomey. Postpartum disorder is classified into several types. The classification, which varies according to researcher or expert, is commonly based on the degree of its severity. For the purposes set by this paper, Ahuja's (1999) classification will be used, which categorized postpartum disorder into three. These are: 1) Type I: Postpartum psychosis also known as brief reactive psychosis; 2) Type II: Adjustment reaction with depressed mood (e.g. postpartum