Treatment of post-partum depression: a review of clinical, psychological and pharmacological options

Elizabeth Fitelson¹, Sarah Kim⁴, Allison Scott Baker³, Kristin Leight^2
1Director, ²Attending Psychiatrist, TheWomen's Program, ³Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, Division of Child Psychiatry, ⁴PGY-I Resident in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

Abstract: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common complication of childbearing, and has increasingly been identified as a major public health problem. Untreated maternal depression has multiple potential negative effects on maternal-infant attachment and child development. Screening for depression in the perinatal period is feasible in multiple primary care or obstetric settings, and can help identify depressed mothers earlier. However, there are multiple barriers to appropriate treatment, including concerns about medication effects in breastfeeding infants. This article reviews the literature and recommendations for the treatment of postpartum depression, with a focus on the range of pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and other non-pharmacologic interventions.

Keywords: postpartum depression, postnatal depression, lactation, antidepressant, hormone therapy, psychotherapy, bright light therapy, omega-3