Understanding postnatal depression: a mother‐centred approach

Abstract

Research findings on the causes and correlates of postnatal depression divide into two explanatory frameworks The clinical/medical model identifies the mothers as being ‘ill’, and the social science model suggests a particular vulnerability to additional social stress factors Despite attempts to predict those women at risk, and develop preventative programmes, most treatment initiatives are reactive, which is a direct result of the inconclusive nature of available evidence The study reported here suggests that the concept ‘postnatal depression’ needs to be re‐examined and that rather than it being an individual illness or vulnerability, it is more akin to a normal grief reaction and part of a normal postnatal profile It only becomes a problem when it is defined and treated inappropriately The implications from this research lead to a new approach to understanding the mother's experience of postnatal depression, and types of counselling and support which might effectively be employed by midwives and health visitors