Diagnosis

It is important for a woman with symptoms of postnatal depression to have a series of basic medical tests to rule out any other physical conditions that are known to contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety, low energy or poor motivation such as iron or thyroid imbalances.  If this is identified and treated the feelings of depression or anxiety may stop.

Should these conditions be ruled out or appropriately treated and the depression continues it would be necessary to investigate the diagnosis of postnatal depression.

There are a number of different factors that are important in diagnosing PND but in general the doctor would be ruling out other conditions, checking out the stressors in the woman's life that may cause her symptoms, investigating the symptoms and their impact on her against the known symptoms of depression and the length of time the mother has been experiencing them.  It is important for the woman to feel comfortable with her doctor and to have time to cover all these elements and so a double appointment would be ideal.

It is important for the woman and her partner to be given information about what PND is and how they can expect recovery to progress. Decisions about her care and the process of depression need to be made based on accurate and up to date information that can be sourced from health care workers, reputable internet sites and written material.