A 29-year-old woman, four days after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, tells her doctor she feels tearful, irritable, and emotionally labile, crying without clear reason. She sleeps when the baby sleeps, bonds well with the infant, and denies thoughts of harming herself or the baby. What is the most likely diagnosis?

• A Postpartum blues ✓
• B Postpartum depression
• C Postpartum psychosis
• D Brief psychotic disorder

Explanation

Postpartum blues begin within the first few days, peak around day four or five, and resolve by two weeks. Mood lability, tearfulness, and irritability with preserved bonding and functioning are typical. Postpartum depression persists beyond two weeks and impairs mother-infant interaction. Postpartum psychosis, the key distractor, usually starts within the first two weeks but includes delusions, hallucinations, confusion, or risk of harm to self or infant, all absent here.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.