The term PPD has been used in the past to describe a
wide range of depressive symptoms following childbirth.
More recent research has tended to follow standardized
criteria for identifying PPD, which differs from postpartum
blues in severity and duration.
Postpartum blues, or baby blues, occurs in up to 80 percent
of new mothers. It characteristically involves relatively
mild symptoms that generally develop within 2–4 days
after delivery, last for a few hours to a matter of days, and
resolve at most within a couple of weeks. Many women
suffer from such a period of emotional dysregulation following
childbirth; it typically does not develop to the level
of a major depressive episode and is of shorter duration. It is
thought to be relatively benign and to have limited impact
on the individual’s or baby’s overall functioning.
About 15–20% of mothers who experience postpartum
blues develop a more severe form of the blues, however,
and they are six times more likely to go on to a clinically
signifi cant depressive disorder