[Baby-blues. Post-partum depression and perturbation of mother-infant interactions during the first three months of life. (Study on a population sample of middle or upper socioeconomic status)].

Our study, which was carried out using a representative sample of women from middle or upper-class social and economic backgrounds, confirms the high frequency of a depressive syndrome of low intensity and brief duration during the first three months after giving birth. We formulate the hypothesis of a "physiological turning point" in the relationship during the second or third month. The move toward the mother's depression provides the opportunity for the infant to play a more active role in the relationship while at the same time enabling him to sleep full nights and allowing his parents to resume the intimate part of their life together. The unexpected arrival of a clear dysharmony in the relationship seems to be the best indicator of the two individuals' suffering and of the intensity of the mother's internal psychic conflicts. This intensity precedes the appearance of a depressive syndrome for the mother. A close clinical study of the relationship would allow us to understand the range of the infant's reactions better, going from active "anti-depressant" behavior to reactions leading to the withdrawal of communication.