Postpartum depression: a debilitating yet often unassessed problem.

Postpartum depression, which affects up to 20 percent of new mothers, is an illness often neglected or dismissed by health professionals, leaving the majority of such mothers and their families untreated and confused. This article describes the reasons postpartum depression frequently goes unrecognized and the characteristics, symptoms, and risk factors that help identify this syndrome. Treatment approaches and interventions, the impact on the family, and the family's involvement in the stages of treatment are addressed. Developing a support group for those experiencing postpartum depression is one way social workers can bring this syndrome to the forefront. Implications for social work practice in identifying, referring, and treating mothers at risk for and currently experiencing postpartum depression are discussed.