Education is a valuable instrument, which enables the new parents and family to seek treatment if postpartum depression symptoms appear. Postpartum Depression Psychiatric hospital admissions are more likely to occur at childbirth than at any other time of life. 29 Eighty percent receive a diagnosis of affective disorder. Women with postpartum depression are more likely to have infants who are withdrawn and inconsolable. 13 Weissman et al 30 found that these children are themselves predisposed to depression.
Puerperal depression is treated with standard psychopharmacologic interventions.
If the mother wishes to breast-feed, the risks and benefits of psychotropic medications must also be considered. Recent data indicate that some psychotropic medications pass only minimal or undetectable amounts of drug or metabolite from breast milk to the infant serum. However, even small doses of medication may have unknown adverse effects on the infant's developing central nervous system. Inadequate response to antidepressant treatment is often due to inadequate dosing for an insufficient period of time. Consequently, medication should be continued for six months to one year.