Research study: The brain science of PPD

The neurobiological mechanisms to explain postpartum blues and the high risk for the onset of postpartum depression in the first few weeks after delivery are unclear. Estrogen levels drop 100- to 1000-fold during the first 3 to 4 days postpartum, and changes in estrogen levels have an inverse relationship with monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) density. However, MAO-A levels have never been measured in the early postpartum period... Rather than a purely psychosocial model, we propose a neurobiological model of estrogen decline, followed by elevated MAO-A binding,low mood, and subsequently a period of high risk for major depressive episodes. Our model has important implications for preventing postpartum depression and for developing therapeutic strategiesthat target or compensate for elevated MAO-A levels during postpartum blues.

Read More at Archives of General Psychiatry

Pilot Study: Antenatal Cognitive-behavioral Therapy

Women with PPD complain of depressive mood, insomnia, frequent crying, lack of appetite and motivation, fatigue, and multiple somatic symptoms, inability to cope, low self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. We recruited 927 pregnant women in 6 obstetric and gynecology clinics and screened them using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Our pilot study has provided preliminary empirical evidence that antenatal CBT intervention can be an effective preventive treatment for PPD. Further study in this direction was suggested.

Read more at PubMed Central