Introduction
The term “postpartum depression” is rooted in a biomedical understanding of women’s distress after childbirth. Within this mainstream approach, postpartum depression is regarded as an illness: a problem with women’s bodies – in particular, a product of hormonal dysregulation. In contrast, feminist scholars approach depression in the postpartum period as a problem with the social and political context in which mothering occurs. They critique the mainstream view as upholding the idealized myth of motherhood, pathologizing women’s distress, and depoliticizing the work of childcare.
Definition
“Postpartum” or “postnatal” depression refers to the experience of being depressed following childbirth. Although a common term in popular discourse, “postpartum depression” is not an official psychiatric diagnosis. A distinction is often made in the literature between “postpartum blues” (or “baby blues”), “postpartum depression,” and “postpartum psychosis.” “Postpartum blues” is used to...
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Lafrance, M.N. (2014). Postpartum Depression. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_393
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_393
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