Psychotherapy for Postpartum Depression: A Preliminary Report.

Abstract

A postpartum depression treatment efficacy study showed both a mother-infant psychotherapy group and interpersonal psychotherapy to be superior to a waiting-list comparison group in reducing maternal depressive symptoms, improving mothers' perceptions of their infants' adaptability and reinforcement value, and increasing mothers' positive affect and verbalization with their infants. Clinical implications regarding the importance of early intervention for women experiencing major depression in the postpartum period and their families are discussed.