A woman delivers normally and on day 3 develops tearfulness, mild irritability, and emotional lability. She sleeps when the baby sleeps, eats adequately, and has no psychotic features. What is the expected course of this condition?
- A Symptoms persist beyond six weeks and progress to postpartum psychosis in half of cases
- B Symptoms begin within 24 hours of delivery and always require antidepressants
- C Symptoms peak around day 5 and resolve spontaneously within two weeks without specific treatment ✓
- D Symptoms are maximal immediately after delivery and resolve only after menses return
Correct answer: C. Symptoms peak around day 5 and resolve spontaneously within two weeks without specific treatment
Explanation
Maternity blues affect roughly 50 to 80 percent of mothers, begin around day 2 to 3 postpartum, peak near day 5, and remit fully by two weeks without treatment. The key exclusion of postpartum depression is duration: blues never persist beyond two weeks, whereas depressive disorder requires symptoms lasting longer than two weeks with functional impairment.
Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.