Post partum blues: depressive disease or pseudoneurasthenic syndrome

Depressive mood disorders following childbirth can be quantified with self-rating and observer-rating scales. During two months, in the period from November 1989 to March 1990, women admitted to the obstetric unit of the University of Würzburg were examined on days 3 and 5 post-partum with the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression, the Montgomery-Asberg-Depression-Rating-Scale and the Befindlichkeits-Scale by von Zerssen. Results reveal that during the early puerperium, scores on these scales rarely reach the same severity as in major depressive disorder. The clinical picture is no different from emotional-hyperaesthetic hyposthenia following other kinds of physical illness such as endocrine disorders.