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ABOUT POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
All mothers find the first few months with a baby demanding. With time and support from family and friends, most new mothers adjust to the changes a baby demands. But some women become depressed after the birth of a baby. Depression in new mothers is called postnatal depression (PND). Postnatal depression is one of three mood disorders that can occur in new mothers, the others being ‘baby blues’ and postnatal psychosis. Postnatal depression is a common problem, affecting at least one in ten new mothers.
On this web page you will find outlined some of what is known about postnatal depression:
- signs and symptoms
- onset
- severity
- duration
- why it can be so hard for women to ask for help
- where to seek professional help
- diagnosis
- treatment
- risk factors
- PND and male partners
- recurrence, and
- further reading.
Most of the material here has been adapted from parts of Lisa’s Fettling’s two books, Postnatal Depression: A practical guide for Australian families (2002), and (with Belinda Tune) Women’s Experience of Postnatal Depression: Kitchen table conversations (2005).