Depression was another important issue that emerged from both interview and questionnaire responses when the new parents' babies were about six weeks old. At this point, some of the mothers acknowledged that they were having considerable difficulty with feelings of gloom, pessimism, and hopelessness. In this chapter, we focus on the experiences of these women. We wanted to understand the nature of the problems they were experiencing, to examine the factors that might be linked to their depression, and to see how they were faring at the end of the study.

POSTNATAL DEPRESSION

Studies of new mothers suggest that postnatal depression is not a rare phenomenon; in fact, between 8% and 15% of women may be affected by this problem (O'Hara, 1997). Although the defining characteristic of postnatal depression is “dysphoric” (or depressed) mood, this mood state is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as extreme fatigue, strong feelings of guilt, and disturbances of sleep and appetite. A diagnosis of postnatal depression usually requires that these symptoms be present over a reasonable period of time, and affect the woman's ability to function effectively (O'Hara, 1997).

These diagnostic criteria highlight the scope of the problems associated with postnatal depression. When a new mother cannot function effectively, there are serious implications for her own adjustment, for the care and management of the baby, and for the couple relationship.