Characteristics and treatment of women with antenatal and postpartum depression

Objective: Investigations of the efficacy of treatment for non-psychotic pr egnancy-related mood disorders are scarce. Thus, a prospective, longitudina l study of six months duration, involving ninety-six index cases and forty- five healthy women as a reference group, was implemented to determine the r esponse of mood, parenting stress and dyadic adjustment to an eclectic mana gement. Method: In this naturalistic study, the index cases were offered tr eatment consistent with their symptoms, context, and level of compliance. A ll women received individual psychotherapy combining strategies from Interp ersonal and Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and/or Marital Interventions and Pharmacology. Rating scales (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Child Stress In ventory) scored monthly, were used to measure the response to treatment ove r time. Results: Depressive symptoms are generally alleviated by the second to third month of treatment. Dyadic discord accentuated by traditional sex role expectations and child care stress exacerbated by low self-esteem per sisted throughout the trial at levels significantly different from the untr eated reference group. Conclusions: Short-term interventions are cost-effec tive for the relief of mood disorders. However, creative solutions, during an era of economic restraints, are required to extend treatment sufficientl y to address couple conflicts and facilitate the transition to parenthood f or index cases.