Postpartum Depression Demystified

- The most common complication faced by new mothers: Each year nearly 400,000 new moms suffer from postpartum depression (PPD)--a serious mood disorder characterized by sadness, anxiety or panic attacks, feelings of hopelessness and guilt, insomnia, and thoughts of harming the baby or oneself--and it continues to be misunderstood and often misdiagnosed. - Direct, accessible, rational advice: In Postpartum Depression Demystified, renowned PPD authority Joyce Venis and Suzanne McCloskey, both PPD sufferers themselves, turn their combined experience and expertise into an insightful and supportive guide for everyone seeking to understand this condition. In simple terms, Venis and McCloskey explain what postpartum depression is, how to recognize the symptoms, key risk factors, medications and therapies, effective coping mechanisms, and more. Postpartum Depression Demystified is essential reading for every woman who has--or thinks she may have--PPD, as well as family, friends, and caregivers. - PPD--a hot topic: Postpartum depression is garnering more attention following the publication of successful PPD memoirs by Brooke Shields and Marie Osmond and media coverage of the Andrea Yates retrial and the Mary Winkler murder case in Tennessee. New mothers are more aware of the condition and the need has never been greater for a plain-speaking, authoritative guide demystifying the subject.