Beyond "Baby Blues:" New Mothers Are At Risk for a Range of Mental Disorders

AWHONN monograph informs nurses about postpartum mood and anxiety disorders

NEWS RELEASE: March 7, 2008
CONTACT: Karen Addis, 202-296-2002

Washington, DC—Postpartum depression, often misdiagnosed as the "baby blues," is a serious condition that is estimated to affect up to 14.5 percent of new mothers. When it comes to mental disorders following the birth of a child, however, postpartum depression may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Based on a growing body of evidence documenting a range of mood and anxiety disorders triggered by the birth of a child, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) today announced the publication of the updated monograph, "Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Case Studies, Research and Nursing Care."

The updated monograph, written by Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, a leading nurse researcher on postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, addresses postpartum anxiety disorders such as: postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), postpartum onset panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to childbirth. Postpartum mood disorders include postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis (PPP) and bipolar II disorder.

According to the monograph, a woman is more likely to develop a severe mental disorder during the first few months after the delivery of her child than any other period in her lifetime.

"Our society reinforces a popular myth that equates childbirth with total happiness, associating new motherhood with joy and positive feelings," said Beck. "Yet postpartum mood and anxiety disorders can rob women of that joy and leave lasting scars on new mothers, their infants and their families. For these families, nurses play an important role in counseling patients, identifying symptoms and providing referrals and resources."

The monograph includes 2.2 continuing nursing education contact hours, a screening scale, and a postpartum depression predictors inventory. The monograph is available for purchase through the AWHONN online store.

Postpartum depression is also the subject of an article in the March/April issue of AWHONN’s Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN). The article, "Evidence-Based Recommendations for Depressive Symptoms in Post Partum Women," outlines 10 evidence-supported recommendations for postpartum clinical nursing care.

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About AWHONN

The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) was founded in 1969 and was then known as the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NAACOG). The association changed its name to AWHONN in 1993.

AWHONN is the foremost nursing authority that advances the health care of women and newborns through advocacy, research and the creation of high quality, evidence-based standards of care.

AWHONN’s 22,000 members worldwide are clinicians, educators and executives who serve as patient care advocates focusing on the needs of women and infants.

A leader in professional development, AWHONN is the first and only association to be awarded the designation Premier Provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for innovation and excellence in Continuing Nursing Education.

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