"Childbirth and Depression: Is Postpartum Depression and Illusory Correlation?" - Dr. Michael Silverman

Childbirth and Depression: Is Postpartum Depression and Illusory Correlation? – Dr. Michael Silverman

January 14

The period immediately following the birth of a child is a critical time for a number of important early developmental events and the lack of energy and ability of a mother to cope effectively with the demands of this period can constitute a serious threat to the infant’s well-being. While major depressive episodes result in the well-known attendant morbidity, including marked functional impairment, distress and increased risk of suicide, early maternal depression also puts a second individual, the child, at significant risk during what many believe to be the most critical of developmental periods. To address this question, an international group of researchers conducted the largest and most rigorous study of postpartum depression to date. Some of these findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Archives of Women’s Mental Health. Michael Silverman, PhD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai writes why these recent findings differ from what is commonly reported to be the most common complication of child delivery.

— Michael Silverman, PhD, Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

— Avraham Reichenberg, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

— Sven Sandin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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