The lived experience of postpartum depression in a psychiatric population

Studies have examined the quantitative causal factors of postpartum depression. However, the lived experience of postpartum depression has not been investigated.

Using a psychophenomenological design, the investigators examined reports from seven clients with a psychiatric diagnosis of postpartum depression and the role life experiences played in their labor, delivery, and postpartum periods.

Phenomenological analysis indicated that the psychological and physiological effects of abuse interact to create a cognitive frame of reference similar to the experience of abuse.

The normal developmental event of childbearing contributes to the recall of abuse and sets the stage for postpartum depression.