■ Women often don’t recognise
themselves as being depressed
– they hide their symptoms or
present as the baby having the
problem.
■ When symptoms (anxiety,
lowered mood, tearfulness,
fears of not being able to cope
or being a bad mother) are
recurrent, severe or continue for
more than two weeks, the diagnosis
of depression or anxiety
disorder must be considered.
■ In PND many anxieties arise
from the lack a balanced
perspective. Cognitive behavioural
therapy is well suited to
address these issues.
■ Maternal depression is associated
with poor developmental
outcomes for children with
implications for the child’s
education and the potential for
mental illness as adults.
■ Mothers’ groups can be
beneficial if they are specifically
for women with PND but general
mothers groups can alienate
women if they feel different to
the other “coping” mothers.
■ Early detection and treatment
of PND may lead to remission
of symptoms and improvement
for mother, child and family
members, but it does not
guarantee a good outcome.
For some women, mother-infant
or long-term therapy is needed
