Sometimes the condition is made fun of with images of crying mothers over Kodak commercials or their long faces staring out the window next to the baby’s crib as you hear the mourning music in the background. It’s sad and miserable, but you shake your head in a sort of comedic way, thinking it’s nothing serious or fatal, this thing called the “baby blues.”

But the truth is it’s more than fatal. Postpartum depression is nothing to laugh about.

Also called “postnatal depression,” the condition is a form of clinical depression that usually is present among women after childbirth, hence the nickname “baby blues.” Symptoms include fatigue, random sorrow, erratic sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, sobbing, anxiety, and irritability. At first glance, you’d think this isn’t seriously fatal at all. In fact, medication and/or therapy would help tremendously (point of fact, it does). But you have to understand the true dark nature of this depression.

Not only can postpartum depression lead to both suicide and homicide, it can lead to alcohol and drug abuse in the long run. Social class also plays an effective role on the onset of the baby blues; but when you think about it, that could also determine that same severity of suicide/homicide and drug/alcohol abuse toward any individual. Not something anyone would think about when in the thick of a depression session involving a baby. Look years from the moment of childbirth, and you’d be surprised to see that same mother practically dying from cocaine or heroin abuse juiced up with booze. It’s not a wonderful sight to see.

If you’re suffering from postpartum depression, it is most definitely your responsibility to help yourself by doing the necessary research for rehab centers in your area through the site Rehab-International.org. Your life matters. So take charge of it. Don’t let the consequences of the baby blues get the best of you.