There have been a handful of high profile cases of postpartum depression in the news over the past few years, and awareness of this problem has grown significantly. Another step forward was taken last week by the US House of Representatives in enacting a bill that calls for $3million in funding for postpartum depression research.

Postpartum literally means “after birth,” and this period is a time when women, who suffer from depression at twice the rate that men do, are especially vulnerable.

A study in this month’s American Journal of Psychiatry of more than 4,000 pregnant women showed that more than 10 percent of them suffered from major depression after giving birth. This study, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found substantial, though lower, rates of depression in women just before and during pregnancy.

The article itself is a fabulous overview about what is and is not yet known about postpartum depression, and gives some insight into what the funding could be used for. Anyone who is an expecting mom or knows someone that struggled with this should definitely give it a read.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 25 Oct 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.