Depression in der frühen Mutterschaft

Postpartum depressive disorders, except for the brief and common postpartum blues, are serious mental disorders which can result in adversities for the mother, her infant and the whole family. Information and prevention should be topics of major concern. Because of its numerous psychosocial implications, depression in early motherhood always requires integrative therapeutical approaches, containing counselling, psychoeducation, psychotherapy in individual-, mother-infant-, couple- or family-settings and social work. In severe cases psychopharmacotherapy should be taken into account, even if a mother wants to continue breastfeeding.