Specialists say only a small number of people are expected to be so severely affected that they develop PTSD, a disorder that can include flashbacks, debilitating anxiety, irritability and insomnia months after the trauma.

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Although in some cases, dark thoughts can be a severe and debilitating symptom of a postpartum anxiety or depressive disorder, usually they are just an unpleasant part of normal adjustment.

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My fears and anxiety have been debilitating at times.

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That unrelenting fear made my recovery infinitely more difficult that it needed to be, as I experienced first-hand the debilitating physical and mental repercussions of stress and anxiety.

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And that is the essence of CBT: Depression, anxiety and other ills aren't the cause of a cascade of debilitating thoughts and self-loathing--they are, instead, a result of the same.

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