Post-partum depression

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Post-partum depression

Alternative Names:

Depression - postpartum

Prevention:

Having good social support from family, friends, and co-workers probably helps to reduce the seriousness of post-partum depression, but may not prevent it.

Taking screening questionnaires appears to be the best method of finding depression early and treating it.

Those at high risk should be screened both before and after delivery and followed closely with repeated screening, depending on symptoms, for at least four months after the delivery.

Review Date: 10/16/2004
Reviewed By: Updates to specific sections made by Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by John Goldenring, M.D., MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA, and Angela Smyth, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Reviews provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (11/12/2003).

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