Postpartum depression: diagnostic and treatment issues.

Postpartum depression is the most common psychiatric complication of child-bearing. Despite the potentially deleterious effects of postpartum depression on the mother and her infant, the disorder is often unrecognized and untreated. Women may be reluctant to seek professional help because of the stigma of mental illness, or they may be unwilling to try medication because of concerns about safety during lactation. In this review of postpartum depression, we discuss its clinical presentation, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment.