Characterization of depressed mothers in the postpartum Caracterización de madres deprimidas en el posparto

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder that occurs during a specific period of women's lifetime: Puerperium. The prevalence of PPD ranges from 8% to 30%, and a three-fold increase is seen in emerging as compared to developed countries. Aim: To characterize women consulting in primary care facilities for PPD. Material and Methods: Social and demographic features, obstetrical history, clinical symptoms and puerperal care of 440 postpartum women that sought help in primary care and were diagnosed as depressed, are described. Results: These women had no paid employment (82.7%), had unplanned pregnancies (62.5%) and lacked adequate social support (59.4%). From the clinical viewpoint, most of these puerperal women had a family history of depression (64.2%) and 31% had suffered from previous depressive episodes. The clinical symptoms of these patients consisted of depressed mood (93.2%), anhedonia (87.9%) and fatigue (87%). Conclusions: Women depressed postpartum form a gr