Post Adoption Depression
Every adoptive parent expects that after working so hard to become a parent, they will feel nothing but joy and thankfulness at the gift that is their child. More often these feelings of joy are mixed with feelings of being overwhelmed and worry about not “falling madly in love at first sight”. Throw in the exhaustion of any major life change, and you have the makings for post-adoption depression.
We have seen no research on how many adoptive parents experience depression post-adoption, but anecdotally from members in our online support community, we believe that it occurs more often when:
- Parents have not resolved their grief over not having a biologically related child.
- Parents have unrealistic expectations of what the transition period will be like.
- Parents do not have people with whom to confide their fears and concerns.
If you are struggling post-adoption, you are not alone. This is not a reflection on you, or your child, or your eventual adjustment. Talk with your adoption social worker. She will not judge, and she can help.
If it is interfering with your ability to parent, seek outside counseling. In the meantime, you absolutely must join an in-person or online support group. One of the best is the Creating a Family Facebook Support Group.
Creating a Family has many resources on post-adoption blues. A few we think you will find particularly helpful are:
- Help! I’m Not Sure I Can Love This Child! (article)
- Still Imagine You Might Be Pregnant Even After Adopting? (article)
- When Parents Fail to Attach to Their Adopted Child (article)
- Post-Adoption Depression: Causes and Prevention (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
- Transitioning Home: The First Months Post Adoption (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
Many more Creating a Family interviews with experts, blogs, and fact sheets on post adoption depression can be found at the icons below.
Image credit: Chrstopher
Additional Resources
