Postpartum depression and postpartum adaptation: overlapping constructs?

In order to examine the course of normal postpartum adjustment compared to the symptomatology of postpartum depression, 25 postpartum women who met Research Diagnostic Criteria for either major or minor depression were compared to 24 non-depressed postpartum women. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to all subjects. Results suggest that sleep disturbances and loss of sexual interest are common concomitants of normal postpartum adjustment. A discriminant function analysis indicated that the cognitive-affective symptoms of loss of energy, guilt, difficulties in concentration, and loss of interest in usual activities discriminated between depressed and non-depressed women most efficiently. Finally, there was a lack of concordance between the BDI and the SADS interviews, which suggests that the BDI may not be an appropriate instrument for diagnosing depression in a postpartum sample.