Healthcare in Pakistan
Depression often starts at young age and affects women more commonly than men. One or two mothers out of 10 have depression after childbirth. Depression also limits a mother’s capacity to care for her child, and can seriously affect the child’s growth and development. A study showed that exposure to maternal mental distress is associated with undernutrition in 9‐month infants in urban Pakistan.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Treatment of postpartum depression can include individual or group psychotherapy, medication, and supportive interventions. A combination of individual psychotherapy (particularly cognitive therapy) and medication has been shown to be effective. There are no standard guidelines regarding medication therapy. The potential risk of infant exposure to small amounts of antidepressants in breast milk is unclear, so in each individual woman the risk of not taking antidepressants must be balanced against the risk of either not breastfeeding or potentially exposing the infant with continued breastfeeding. There is some reassuring data on the safety of SSRI antidepressants, and infants nursed by mothers taking SSRIS typically receive low levels of medication exposure.