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Is Postpartum Depression a Distinct Disorder?

  • Women's Mental Health (CN Epperson, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The nosology of postpartum depression (PPD) is controversial. We review the evidence and arguments for and against the recognition of PPD as a distinct disorder and discuss the etiopathogenic and diagnostic validity of PPD as a distinct disorder, including its utility and indications for further research. Although multiple epidemiological and clinical studies have found that depression is more common following childbirth than at other times in a woman’s life, there is conflicting evidence for the validity of PPD as a distinct disorder. PPD is likely to be a complex phenotype, encompassing several disorders with different disease pathways. It is plausible that for a sub-group of vulnerable women, childbirth triggers episodes of depression. However, even within this group, the mechanisms underpinning the mood disturbances are likely complex and heterogeneous. The distinction between depression occurring in the perinatal period and depression at other times is important for both research and clinical practice. Research should differentiate between episodes that begin during pregnancy and postpartum, as the pathogenetic factors involved may differ and require specialized treatment.

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Notes

  1. The term “validity” is broad and not univocally defined, especially in psychiatry. The distinction between validity and utility represents an extension of the model presented in Kendell and Jablensky’s seminal paper. Here, it is used with the sole intent of organizing the arguments. An examination of the philosophical grounds of psychiatric nosology goes beyond the scope of this paper. The authors refer the readers to [9] for an in-depth discussion.

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Arianna Di Florio declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Samantha Meltzer-Brody has received research grant support from Sage Pharmaceuticals.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box #7160, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Arianna Di Florio & Samantha Meltzer-Brody

  2. Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Arianna Di Florio

Authors
  1. Arianna Di Florio
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  2. Samantha Meltzer-Brody
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha Meltzer-Brody.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Women’s Mental Health

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Di Florio, A., Meltzer-Brody, S. Is Postpartum Depression a Distinct Disorder?. Curr Psychiatry Rep 17, 76 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0617-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0617-6

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