Understanding and Overcoming Postpartum Depression: Part 3

Is Postpartum Depression Underdiagnosed?
Terri Denton wanted help, but it took months more to get an appointment. She called six psychiatrists and left a detailed message with each one. “I said I’m a new mother experiencing postpartum depression with psychotic features, I need to be seen, please call me back,” Denton says. “Five out of six places didn’t even call.”






"We need to let women know that mood disturbances during their life are not necessarily normal, and when they’re not, they can be treated.”

—Shari Lusskin, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University’s School of Medicine

Once she got an appointment, another few months passed before medication brought relief. She’s diagnosed as bipolar, a mental illness that piggybacked on the postpartum depression that stunted her initial relationship with her baby.


“I never thought it would be over,” Denton says. “I thought I would be like that forever.”


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