Postpartum depressionDownloads

A 26-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by her husband due to her disturbing behavior over the past 24 hours. Her husband says that he has noticed his wife talking to herself and staying in a corner of a room throughout the day without eating or drinking anything. She gave birth to their son 2 weeks ago but has not seen or even acknowledged her baby’s presence ever since he was born. He says that he didn’t think much of it because she seemed overwhelmed during her pregnancy and he considered that she was probably unable to cope with being a new mother; however, last night, he says, his wife told him that their child was the son of the devil and they ought to get rid of him as soon as possible. Which of the following describes this patient’s abnormal reaction to her child?

A 27-year-old woman visits a psychiatrist expressing her feelings of sadness which are present on most days of the week. She says that she has been feeling this way for about 2 to 3 years. During her first pregnancy 3 years ago, the fetus died in utero, and the pregnancy was terminated at 21 weeks. Ever since then, she hasn’t been able to sleep well at night and has difficulty concentrating on her tasks most of the time. However, for the past month, she has found it more difficult to cope. She says she has no will to have another child as she still feels guilty and responsible for the previous pregnancy. Over the past few days, she has completely lost her appetite and only eats once or twice a day. She doesn’t recall a single day in the last 3 years where she has not felt this way. The patient denies any past or current smoking, alcohol, or recreational drug use. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?