Dear Colleague,

Recently dominating the news are the sickening cases of a Alaskan mom admitting to suffocating her 3-week-old daughter (View Article) and a California mother accused of dropping her 7-month old baby from a hospital parking garage (View Article. Both mothers have a history of depression but unfortunately no one was able to foresee the severity of their condition. Patients with postpartum depression may not always be amenable to beginning treatment. On Roadblocks to Treatment (Click Here), a panel of experts, moderated by Cindy-Lee Dennis, RN, PhD, outline and discusses 9 roadblocks to treatment that may arise with newly diagnosed PPD patients, and how healthcare providers can work with them to overcome these obstacles to getting the treatment they need.

Medical Updates Depressive mood in women at childbirth predicts their mood and relationship with infant and partner during the first year postpartum. Lilja G, Edhborg M, Nissen E. Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockhom, Sweden Department of women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockhom, Sweden School of Life Science, University of Skovde, Skovde, Sweden. Depressive mood in women at childbirth predicts their mood and relationship with her infant and partner during the first year postpartum. Postpartum depressive symptoms and the BDNF Val66Met functional polymorphism: effect of season of delivery Erika Comasco, Sara M. Sylvén, Fotios C. Papadopoulos, Lars Oreland, Inger Sundström-Poromaa and Alkistis Skalkidou Postpartum depression (PPD) is an often underdiagnosed and undertreated mood disorder, with negative impact on the mother’s and infant's health. Paternal postpartum mood: bipolar episodes? Pinheiro KA, Coelho FM, Quevedo Lde Á, Jansen K, Souza Lde M, Oses JP, Horta BL, Silva RA, Pinheiro RT. Postgraduate Program in Health and Behavior, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. We describe the prevalence of depressive and bipolar spectrum episodes in fathers in antenatal and postnatal periods, as well as at 12 months after childbirth. Endocrine substrates of cognitive and affective changes during pregnancy and postpartum. Workman JL, Barha CK, Galea LA. Pregnancy and motherhood constitute periods of tremendous hormonal variation that orchestrate parturition, lactation, maternal care, maternal aggression, and recognition of offspring, among other functions. View More» In The News Postpartum Depression: Listening to Mothers boston.com When I see children in my pediatric practice for behavior problems, I often hear stories from mothers who struggled terribly when their children were very young infants. It's time to talk about postpartum depression ksl.com You've waited 40 long weeks, endured sore muscles, exhaustion, strange cravings and swollen ankles. Your baby has finally come. She is perfectly healthy. He has his daddy's nose. Everyone is thrilled. Everyone except you. Postpartum Depression to Bipolar Disorder technorati.com by Ann Heppermann – Maria Bruno knew something was really wrong when she put her newborn son, Nicolas, down for a nap and then was too afraid to pick him up. Postpartum depression is more serious than the "baby blues" health.harvard.edu Although postpartum depression is surprisingly common, those affected may be embarrassed about feeling depressed and overwhelmed at what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of their lives. As a result, many people are reluctant to seek help. For example, fewer than half of women with postpartum depression seek treatment. When Protecting Baby Becomes an Obsession nlm.nih.gov Many new mothers feel a bit anxious about caring for their infant. But sometimes that concern develops into an obsession over all the things that can go wrong. Experts call that condition postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder. It can drive women to take extreme steps to prevent their fears from coming true, such as endlessly washing the infant to stave off germs to the point where the baby develops sores, or refusing to hold the baby out of fear of dropping him. Battling Post-Partum Depression (VIDEO) nbcnewyork.com New program helps mothers cope with severe post-partum depression. Postpartum defense would find knowledgeable jury in O.C. case. latimes.com Experts say Sonia Hermosillo — accused of murder in the plunge of her 7-month-old from a parking garage in Orange County — would encounter a legal system more knowledgeable about postpartum psychosis. No Greater Risk of Depression for Pregnant Women Who Stop Antidepressants psychcentral.com Pregnant women who stop taking their antidepressants do not seem to be at greater risk for a depressive episode during or after pregnancy than those who continue taking their medications, according to a new Yale University study. View More»

Events Calendar PSI Chat with the Experts, Facilitated by Yvonne Moore Participant Code 55672 When: OCTOBER 26, 9 pm Eastern Sponsored by: Postpartum International Where: ONLINE Website : Click Here PSI Chat with the Experts: Dads Forum, First Monday of the Month Monday, Facilitated by Susan Dowd Stone Participant Code 14390 When: NOVEMBER 7, 8pm Eastern Sponsored by: Postpartum International Where: ONLINE Website : Click Here Central California Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative 4th Annual Perinatal Mental Health Conference When: NOVEMBER 9 Sponsored by: Central California Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative Where: Fresno, CA Website : Click Here 2012 NASPOG Annual Meeting - Abstracts now being accepted. Submission Deadline - December 1. When: DECEMBER 1 Sponsored by: North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology Where: Providence, Rhode Island Website : Click Here Med Ed Resources Marcé Society The principal aim of the society is to promote, facilitate and communicate about research into all aspects of the mental health of women, their infants, and their partners around the time of childbirth. NIH Clinical Center Homepage of the clinical research facility of the National Institutes of Health. NIMH Patient Recruitment - Postpartum Depression The NIMH Office of Intramural Research portal for patient recruitment gives information on clinical trials studying postpartum depression. Spread The Word Click here to tell a colleague. MedEdPPD.org Newsletter Archives Missed last month's newsletter? Click here for a list of our previous newsletters. Find Us On Facebook!