[Postpartal depression: possible effects on early mother-child interaction and psychotherapeutical treatment approach].

The interaction between mother and child helds a central position in in- and outpatient treatment of postpartal depressive mothers. Infants are highly sensitive towards the emotional state of their mothers and other attachment figures. This sensivity is essential for the comprehension of the influence of a psychiatric illness of the mother on child development Postpartal depression as the most common psychiatric illness in young mothers takes a central part. The specific situation of young depressive mothers demands an adaptation of the therapeutic treatment. Different approaches towards the treatment of postpartal depression with respect to the mother-child interaction are elucidated.