Postpartum depression is a serious problem among women. Once thought of as a relatively minor phase within the postpartum cycle, it is now known that it can seriously impair the individual woman's ability to function under the stress of new parenthood and can seriously erode the family, at a point of foundational transition. Over the last twenty years doctors and the general public have demonstrated greater knowledge of the problem of postpartum depression through awareness and of coarse research.

According to the British Columbia Reproductive Mental Health Program the prevalence of postpartum depression is relatively high but has risk factors associated with age, social support level and prior history of either previous postpartum depression or other forms of clinical depression.

The most vulnerable time for a woman to develop onset of mood disorders is during the postpartum period. Approximately 12- 16% of women experience depression during the postpartum period. Adolescent...
[ View Full Essay]