[Anxiety and depressive disorders in the postpartum period in pregnant females].

Several authors have found that caesarean section might be a risk factor for post-partum depression, while others consider that mood disturbances are not a specific response to delivery and can be observed in women undergoing hysterectomy. This longitudinal prospective study was carried out in 156 in-patient women at the Maternity department of Louis Mourier hospital, near Paris. These women were divided into three groups: 52 with normal delivery, 63 with caesarean section and 41 with gynecological surgery. Seventeen per cent of the women who had delivered suffered from baby-blues. The figure for anxiety (De Bonis scale > or = 20) was 23% in the 1st group, 41% in the 2nd group and 54% in the 3rd group. The figure for mood disturbances (according to DSM III criteria) was 4% in the 1st group, 16% in the 2nd group and 21% in the 3rd group. There was no significant difference between the 3 groups in figures for anxiety and depression during the first 3 months after delivery or surgery, but anxiety and depression ratings seem to fall faster and more steadily in women who had surgery.