The past decade has seen strides in the diagnosis and treatment of postpartum depression, which affects 400,000 women annually in the United States. Yet the most tragic of these cases—the filicides and suicides that spark tabloid frenzy—continue to be horribly misdiagnosed. Dr. Arlene Huysman, drawing on decades of clinical work, here describes the postpartum effect, the missing key to treatment.
Dr. Huysman’s book is designed to educate the general public, and to serve as a tool in the care provider’s hands. In The Postpartum Effect the author records anonymous first-person testimonies from mothers who were tempted to harm their children. She constructs a profile of mothers at greatest risk of the disease. All leading up to the central question: What drives a mother to the ultimate travesty? Dr. Huysman’s measured, empirical approach is a plea for understanding.