Depression in New Mothers: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives

Depression is the number one cause of maternal death in developed countries and results in adverse health outcomes for both mother and child. It is vital, therefore, that health professionals are ready and able to help those women that suffer from perinatal and postpartum depression (PPD).

This book provides a comprehensive approach to treating PPD 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 use with breastfeeding mothers. It incorporates a new psychoneuroimmunology framework for understanding postpartum depression and includes chapters on:

• negative birth experiences
• infant characteristics
• psychosocial factors
• antidepressant medication
• therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy
• herbal medicine and alternative therapies
• suicide and infanticide.

Invaluable in treating the mothers who come to you for help, this helpful guide dispels the myths that hinder effective treatment and presents up-to-date information on the impact of maternal depression on the health of the mother, as well as the health and well-being of the infant.

Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Amarillo, Texas. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in the Divisions of Health and Trauma Psychology, and is Associate Editor of the journal Psychological Trauma. She is also the author of more than 220 journal articles, book chapters and other publications, and author or editor of 19 books in the fields of trauma, women’s health, depression, and breastfeeding.