In addition to the stigma of mental illness, the societal portrayal of idealized motherhood adds even more strain to the emotionally
taxed mother. Women attempt to hide their distress and struggle alone in fear of being labeled an unfit parent or, worse, having their baby taken from them. They may minimize their symptoms or attribute them to feeling overwhelmed by the demands
of a new baby, lack of sleep, or difficult infant temperament.
Some may deny “traditional” depressive symptoms in lieu of experiencing irritability and/or anxiety as their primary complaint. Even the most informed physicians may not attribute these feelings to PPD, assuming that they are due to the stress of newfound motherhood.6 To make matters worse, a woman’s risk of recurring PPD with subsequent children is estimated at 50-100%!7 These women continue to suffer, most in silence and bewilderment, about the pathology of their condition, a condition
which is treatable and possibly even preventable