Depression in New Mothers: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives

by Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett

Are you prepared to provide the best possible treatment for new mothers with depression—including those determined to breastfeed?

This book, which completely updates Kathleen Kendall-Tackett’s 1993 classic text Postpartum Depression, provides you with a comprehensive approach to treating postpartum depression in an easy-to-use format, including treatment options that are safe for use with breastfeeding mothers. Addressing fatigue, pain, negative birth experiences, infant characteristics, and psychosocial factors, Depression in New Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives presents a vital, cross-cultural view of depression in new mothers that will prove invaluable in treating the mothers who come to you for help.

Depression in New Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives dispels the myths that hinder effective treatment and presents up-to-date information

276 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2005

About the author

Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is a Research Associate, and Affiliate Research Associate Professor of Psychology, specializing in women’s health at the Family Research Lab, University of New Hampshire. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health Psychology and Trauma Psychology, editor of the Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly, and is on the editorial boards of Journal of Human Lactation, Child Abuse & Neglect, Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a La Leche League leader, chair of the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Taskforce, and the Area Coordinator of Leaders for La Leche League of Maine and New Hampshire. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in synthesizing current research on breastfeeding and related fields, facilitating the provision of evidence-based care. She is an academic researcher who also works clinically with mothers as a Lactation Consultant/LLL Leader. Dr. Kendall-Tackett has a long-standing interest in maternal depression, the lifetime health effects of childhood abuse, the link between trauma and chronic pain, and the psychological aspects of breastfeeding. Her current work examines the relationship between stress, depression and inflammation, and how this combination increases the risk of depression in new mothers. Breastfeeding, with its stress-lowering effects, is protective of maternal mood. She is also interested in psychological trauma related to difficult birth experiences and the long-term impact of childhood abuse on women's experiences of mothering and breastfeeding. Dr. Kendall-Tackett has authored more than 170 articles or chapters and is the author or editor of 17 books on maternal depression, family violence and breastfeeding. Her most recent books include: Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for Depression in New Mothers (2008, Hale Publishing), The Psychoneuroimmunology of Chronic Disease (2008, American Psychological Association),Writing for a General Audience (2007, American Psychological Assn), Intimate Partner Violence (2007, Civic Research Institute), and Breastfeeding Made Simple (co-authored with Nancy Mohrbacher, 2005, New Harbinger). A full listing of her books is available at www.GraniteScientific.com or www.BreastfeedingMadeSimple.com.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

I was faintly disappointed by this book. I think I was hoping it would be a complete opposite to the rather disturbing postpartum psychiatry text I read earlier this year. Instead I found something which was infinitely better but which had recognisable similarities to that other book - and indeed to other medical texts. This may be no bad thing for the target audience, enabling her to raise some ideas which challenge misconceptions Kendall-Tackett is perhaps best known for her work on the role of the inflammatory response which is interesting but a dense read. I found the section on the relationships between sleep, depression and infant feeding method fascinating - and deserving of a much wider audience including the UK NHS.

There somehow seemed to be something that wasn't being addressed here. It didn't help that whilst she states that the book is not about puerpural psychosis, the very long, fascinating, shocking case study/personal account she includes at the end is of a woman who did experience psychosis and I couldn't help wondering, especially after reading the epilogue, why she had included it.

[Jennifer]

For a book addressed primarily to medical practicioners, there are several wonderful gems in this book for the lay and professional reader alike. I found it to be empowering, especially in dispelling myths (e.g., PPD is NOT caused by hormonal changes or imbalances, does not go away with time, and can be as efficaciously treated with exercise and other alternative treatments as it can with drugs).

The most powerful part of the book, in my opinion, is the section describing the rituals surrounding birth and the transition to motherhood in cultures where researchers have found a surprising absence of PPD. I found these descriptions beautiful, moving, and illuminating, especially in the context of the voluminous research summaries that make up the bulk of the book.

[Cathy Heinz]

Very good book, but it is very technical. Great for clinicians, but a mother experiencing depression symptoms would probably need a book that details feelings and possible interventions in an easier to read format. But I think this is a must for anyone working with mother baby dyads.