Postpartum Depression

In Brief Overview: Postpartum depression is a crippling mood disorder, historically neglected in health care, leaving mothers to suffer in fear, confusion, and silence. Undiagnosed it can adversely affect the mother–infant relationship and lead to long-term emotional problems for the child. This article differentiates postpartum depression from other postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and addresses these aspects of postpartum depression: symptoms, prevalence, risk factors, interventions, and the effects on relationships and child development. Instruments available to screen for postpartum depression are also reviewed. The author has described it as “a thief that steals motherhood”: postpartum depression can have long-ranging implications for mother and child. Distinguishing its symptoms from those of other disorders is the first step in treatment.