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Postpartum Depression

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Key Topics in Perinatal Mental Health

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Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common perinatal mental disorder, and it can affect more than 1 in 10 women around the world. The symptoms can be mild, but in some cases the symptoms and the evolution are serious, requiring combined interventions (psychotherapy and psychopharmacology) and even hospital admission in severe cases. The exact causes of PPD are unknown, but it is considered that there are different vulnerabilities that can precipitate it and included within the general stress-vulnerability model were the depression may be a result of the different types of bio-psycho-social vulnerabilities. PPD is considered a significant public health problem associated with increased morbidity for both infants and mothers. Untreated maternal depression is associated with serious morbidity for the mother, the infant, the mother–baby bonding and the family system. Therefore, its treatment requires a multidisciplinary intervention with a holistic evaluation that should include not only pharmacological and/or psychological interventions, also maternal interaction intervention and accurate assessment of potential social vulnerabilities. More research is needed on possible prevention interventions, study of course and impact, and possible therapeutic targets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perinatal Mental Health Unit CLINIC_BCN, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Insistut Clínic de Neurociències (ICN), Barcelona, Spain

    Alba Roca Lecumberri & Lluïsa Garcia-Esteve

  2. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola, Spain

    Estel Gelabert Arbiol

Authors
  1. Alba Roca Lecumberri
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  2. Estel Gelabert Arbiol
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  3. Lluïsa Garcia-Esteve
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Correspondence to Alba Roca Lecumberri .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy

    Mauro Percudani

  2. Policentro Donna Ambulatory, Italian Marcé Society, Milan, Italy

    Alessandra Bramante

  3. Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Italian Marcé Society, Milan, Italy

    Valeria Brenna

  4. Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK

    Carmine Pariante

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Lecumberri, A.R., Arbiol, E.G., Garcia-Esteve, L. (2022). Postpartum Depression. In: Percudani, M., Bramante, A., Brenna, V., Pariante, C. (eds) Key Topics in Perinatal Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91832-3_2

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