By Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

Depression is the most common complication of childbirth and results in adverse health outcomes for both mother and child. This text provides a comprehensive approach to treating postpartum depression (PPD) in an easy-to-use format. It reviews the research and brings together the evidence base for identifying and understanding the causes, as well as assessing the different treatment options, including those that are safe for use with breastfeeding mothers. Incorporating a new psychoneuroimmunology framework for understanding PPD, Depression in New Mothers, Second edition includes chapters on:
 

• negative birth experiences
• infant characteristics
• psychosocial factors, including a history of childhood abuse
• antidepressant medication for pregnant and breastfeeding women
• psychotherapy and community support
• herbal medicine, Omega-3 fatty acids, excercise, and alternative therapies
• suicide and infanticide.

Invaluable in treating the mothers who come to you for help, this helpful guide dispels the myths that hinder effective treatment and presents up-to-date information on the impact of maternal depression on the health of the mother, as well as the health and well-being of the infant.

Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Amarillo, Texas. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in the Divisions of Health and Trauma Psychology, and is Associate Editor of the journal Psychological Trauma. She is also the author of more than 220 journal articles, book chapters and other publications, and author or editor of 19 books in the fields of trauma, women's health, depression, and breastfeeding.