Postpartum blues syndrome: Psychopathology, diagnostics and aetiology

About half of newly delivered mothers suffer a transient phase of emotional lability or sadness a few days after parturition around the 2(nd) and 5(th ) day after delivery. The transitory psychopathology of the postpartum blue s is similar to premenstrual tension, whose main symptom is irritability. T he essence of the postpartum blues is not depression, but a sudden, fleetin g and unexpected mood change with anxiousness, low spirits, tearfulness, co nfusion, poor concentration and forgetfulness. The aetiology of this disord er is unknown. It is well known that oestrogens and progesterone modify cat echolamine concentration and the density of adrenergic, noradrenergic and d opaminergic receptors in the limbic: structures of the central nervous syst em. But most of the neurochemical studies have not distinguished between po stpartum blues and other forms of depression found in women and occurring p ostpartum. Those research groups who defined a group with a dysphoric peak in the early puerperium could not find a significant correlation between se x hormone levels, neurobiochemical data, and postpartum mood changes.