Main description:

Depression is the most common complication of childbirth and results in adverse health outcomes for both mother and child. It is vital, therefore, that health professionals be ready to help women who have depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder in the perinatal period.

Now in its third edition, Depression in New Mothers provides a comprehensive approach to treating postpartum depression in an easy-to-use format. It reviews the research and brings together the evidence-base for understanding the causes and for assessing the different treatment options, including those that are safe for breastfeeding mothers. It incorporates research from psychoneuroimmunology and includes chapters on:

assessing depression

mother-infant sleep

traumatic birth experiences

infant temperament, illness, and prematurity

childhood abuse and partner violence

psychotherapy

complementary and integrative therapies

community support for new mothers

antidepressant medication

suicide and infanticide.

This most recent edition incorporates new research findings from around the world on risk factors, the use of antidepressants, the impact of breastfeeding, and complementary and integrative therapies as well as updated research into racial/ethnic minority differences. Rich with case illustrations and invaluable in treating mothers in need of help, this practical, evidence-based guide dispels the myths that hinder effective treatment and presents up-to-date information on the impact of maternal depression on the mother and their infants alike.

Contents:

Foreword by Penny Simkin

Preface

Part 1: Symptoms, Incidence and Consequence

1. Depression in New Mothers: Myth vs. Reality

2. Conditions Comorbid with Postpartum Depression

3. Why Depression is Harmful for Mothers

4. Why Maternal Depression Harms Babies and Children

5. Assessment of Postpartum Depression

Part 2: Risk Factors

6. Physiology of Postpartum Depression I: Inflammation and Psychoneuroimmunology

7. Physiology of Depression II: Breastfeeding and Mother-Infant Sleep

8. Traumatic Birth Experiences

9. Infant Temperament

10. Prematurity, Infant Health Problems, and Disability

11. Psychological Risk Factors I: Attributional Style, Self-Esteem, and Psychiatric History

12. Psychological Risk Factors II: Violence Against Women

13. Social Risk Factors

Part 3: Treatment Options

14. Complementary and Integrative Treatments I: Omega-3s, SAMe, and Exercise

15. Complementary and Integrative Therapies II: Bright Light Therapy, Vitamin D, St. John's Wort, and Emerging Therapies

16. Community Intervention

17. Psychotherapy

18. Antidepressants in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Epilogue