Postpartum psychiatric syndromes.

Psychiatric symptoms after childbearing tend to arrange themselves into well-defined patterns or syndromes. When these syndromes are examined, each is found to have unique qualities and unique hazards. Confusion occurs in all syndromes. Many postpartum symptoms, and the timing of their development, lead to the hypothesis that critical etiologic mechanisms may be related to postpartum hormonal changes. Explorations of preventive and specific therapeutic measures provide support for this position.