1. Postpartum Depression Slideshow Pictures
2. Understanding Depression Pictures
3. Depression Tips Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Treatment for postpartum depression depends on the form and how severe it is.

• Your health care professional may refer you for psychological help and individual or group therapy.
• Support groups can be helpful.
• Marriage counseling may be part of your treatment plan.
• It's important for friends and family to understand the illness so they can help.
• Medications can be helpful.

For postpartum blues, no specific treatment may be necessary because the condition goes away by itself and usually does not result in severe symptoms. If symptoms don't go away within two weeks, call your health care professional.

For postpartum depression, the severity of the illness will guide the health care professional in choosing treatment. Milder forms may be treated with psychological therapy. More severe forms may require medication. A combination is sometimes helpful.

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