Mild or moderate depression, either postpartum or otherwise, can be treated with medication or with psychotherapy, or, particularly for women with severe cases, a combination of the two. Women who have postpartum depression love their children but may be convinced that they're not able to be good mothers.

Postpartum depression is distinguished from the baby blues both by its duration and the debilitating effects of indifference the mother has about herself and her children.

Baby Blues
Many women experience baby blues - an extremely common reaction following delivery - it usually appears suddenly on the third or fourth day. It’s estimated that up to 70% of all new mothers experience this emotional letdown, which generally does not impair functioning. Symptoms usually include crying for no reason, irritability, restlessness and anxiety. These are common and frequently less severe postpartum reactions.

Postpartum Depression
About one in 10 new mothers experience some degree of postpartum depression. These complications usually occur within just days after the delivery, and can occur even a year later. These symptoms include:

• Sluggishness
• Fatigue
• Exhaustion
• Feelings of hopelessness or depression
• Disturbances with appetite and sleep
• Confusion
• Uncontrollable crying
• Lack of interest in the baby
• Fear of harming the baby or oneself
• Mood swings – highs and lows

• A woman experiencing postpartum depression usually has several of these mild to severe symptoms – the symptoms and their severity may alternate. Usually the woman experiencing these symptoms feels isolated, guilty and ashamed.·
• Postpartum-onset mood episodes can present with or without psychotic features. Infanticide is most often associated with postpartum psychotic episodes that are characterized by command hallucinations to kill the infant, but it can also occur in severe postpartum mood episodes without such specific delusions or hallucinations.
• The risk of postpartum episodes with psychotic features is particularly increased for women with prior postpartum mood episodes, but elevated for those with a history of mood disorders. Once a woman has a postpartum episode with psychotic features, the risk of recurrence is 30-50% with each delivery.
• There is a subset of women who experience postpartum psychotic episodes that may include infanticide. This is characterized by hallucinations by the new mother to kill the infant, or delusions that the infant might be possessed.

• Medical evaluation to rule out physiological problems
• Psychiatric evaluation
• Psychotherapy
• Possible medication
• Support group

References
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