Psychosocial Consequences of PPD
The incidence of PPD is considerable. Primiparous
women are at highest risk for psychiatric hospitalization
10–19 days postpartum.4
One in 25 women who
suffer from PPD still report depressive symptoms after 6
months. Individuals who develop PPD are more likely to
experience another episode of depression within the next
fi ve years. In fact, the interval from 6 months to 5 years
postpartum is characterized by an increase in depressive
symptoms for about 25% of women.5
148 The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital • Winter 2008–2009 • Vol. 3 – No. 4
The psychosocial consequences of PPD have been found
to extend beyond the effects on the mother, making early
detection and treatment of this disorder imperative not
only for care of the mother, but also for adequate care of
the baby. Researchers have found that maternal depression
places the child at increased risk for attachment
diffi culties, impaired mental and motor development,
emotional and behavioral dysregulation, low self-esteem,
and poor health outcomes.6,7,8
Weissman and colleagues (2006) found a correlation not
only between the mother’s and child’s mental health, but
between treatment for the mother and mental health
outcomes for the child. When mothers were successfully
treated, outcomes improved for the child.9
This study
illustrates the importance of early identifi cation and
secondary prevention of postpartum depression