FROM THE BABY-BLUES TO POSTPARTAL PSYCHOS IS

The classification of postpartum psychiatric disorders is currently un dergoing revision. It is hoped that in the newly developed system thes e disorders will be recognized as original clinical entities. However, beyond problems with definitions and methodologies lies the issue of relationships between the baby-blues, postpartal depression, and puerp eral psychosis. These conditions seem to form a continuum. No predicti ve psychological factors have been identified. The clinical presentati ons of postpartal psychiatric disorders are reviewed herein. Early dia gnosis seems essential because of the substantial impact of postpartal depression on the mother-infant relationship, even though the medium- term consequences remain unclear.