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. 1990 Nov;40(340):472–476.

Postnatal depression: a review of recent literature.

J P Richards 1
PMCID: PMC1371421  PMID: 2271283

Abstract

Depression affects 5-22% of women after childbirth. Some women with postnatal depression will experience a prolonged or relapsing illness that may last until their children enter school. It has adverse effects upon the coping abilities of women, their relationships with their infants, partners and social networks and may adversely affect the educational attainment and behaviour of their children. Since many more women are now active in the workforce, the effects of postnatal depression have obvious economic consequences both for their families and their employers. This article discusses the association between depression and the puerperium and reviews the evidence for vulnerability factors that may make a woman prone to depression. It is suggested that women with, or vulnerable to, postnatal depression can be identified and helped.

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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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