Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

Meet the patient

Eleven weeks postpartum. She scores 19 on the EPDS at her maternal and child health check, endorses the self-harm item, and tells the nurse she is "just tired." Her partner says she has not laughed since the birth and will not be left alone with the baby "in case."[2][7]

In the room she is flat, guilty, and precise: she loves her son, she is convinced she is ruining him, and she has thought about walking into traffic on the way to this appointment.[7][11]

Two questions decide everything in the next ten minutes. Is this depression, or is it psychosis? And who is caring for the infant tonight?[5][10]

References25Show ledgerHide ledger

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2. [2]Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Br J Psychiatry, 1987.PMID 3651732
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