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. 1991 Sep;16(3):160–165.

The comparison of postpartum with non-postpartum depression: a rose by any other name.

V E Whiffen 1
PMCID: PMC1188324  PMID: 1958650

Abstract

A strong tradition exists in the psychiatric literature to consider postpartum depression a distinct diagnosis. However, the empirical evidence indicates that, in terms of etiology and relapse rates, postpartum depression is indistinguishable from non-postpartum depression. Symptomatically, postpartum depression seems to involve a milder disturbance, suggesting that it is best seen as an adjustment disorder. This paper summarizes the empirical evidence relevant to the distinct diagnosis question, and considers the benefits to be derived from challenging the traditional view of postpartum depression.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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