Post-Natal Depression: Psychology, Science and the Transition to Motherhood (Women and Psychology) (Paperback)

by Paula Nicolson (Author) "The words above, spoken one month after their daughters' births, demonstrate the contradictory ways in which individual women experience having their own baby, caring for..." (more)
Key Phrases: depression following childbirth, maternity blues, motherhood role, Ann Oakley, Sue Sharpe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I would recommend this book wholeheartedly both to those working in the field, whether as researcher or practitioner, or for students. The book could also provide much food for thought for the more general reader of health and clinical issues. - Deborah Biggerstaff, University of Birmingham, in the Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

Whilst written from a perspective of feminist research, this book provides a wide view of the social factors affecting mothers who experience post-natal depression . . . The subject of post-natal depression, as presented here, would be of interest not only to psychologists and social scientists but also to midwives and health visitors, as in these professions a broad view of childbirth as a normal, healthy life event is increasingly encouraged. - Health Psychology Update

[T]he author's use of the case material conveys how well she can bring together different types of information to make key points and to do so with great clarity.
–Contemporary Psychology

this work suggests we still need to look more closely at taken for granted assumptions in our knowledge about and at the questions we ask about motherhood.
–Jenny Littlewood, Journal of Health Psychology

Product Description
Post-Natal Depression challenges the expectation that it is normal to be a "happy mother." Up to 90% of new mothers experience some form of depression, but traditional medical accounts pathologize it. Arguing that many of the issues linked to post-natal depression are social rather than biological, Nicolson sets women's own accounts alongside expert evidence, and provides a radical critique of the traditional medical and social science explanations. The book supplies a systematic feminist psychological analysis of women's experiences following childbirth and argues that, far from being an abnormal, undesirable, pathological condition, post- natal depression is a normal, healthy response to a series of losses.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (July 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415163633
• ISBN-13: 978-0415163637
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,885,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)