One of the oldest and most traditional methods of dealing with depression is through psychological counseling. Such so-called interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) also can be used effectively to treat postpartum depression (PPD). Aside from the use of drug therapy, talking through the problem with a professional counselor has proven to be an effective treatment option.

Although PPD presents its own set of problems, experience has shown that IPT can be just as effective in treating the condition as it is in other forms of depression. Therefore, counseling often is used as the first line of defense against the potentially harmful effects of PPD.

Success Rate

Although all forms are depression are difficult to treat effectively and tough to overcome, counseling can be effective if maintained. Statistics indicate that women receiving counseling reported a 55 percent reduction in the symptoms of the depression they experience. The remaining symptoms persist and they tend to recur if treatment is discontinued.

Also recommended is family or marital counseling that involves the father and other family members. This is because a strong support system is deemed very effective in combating the effects of PPD. A supportive spouse can help a new mother feel not so swamped by the duties of childrearing and the anxiety of feeling that no one understands what she is going through.

More Research

One of the problems with determining the effectiveness of IPT as it relates to PPD is that not much research has been done on the subject. Traditionally, studies into the effectiveness of counseling have been done on the problem of depression in general. More recently, medical professionals have come to realize that PPD presents a somewhat different set of circumstances.

In particular, although PPD mirrors general depression in many ways, the effect of pregnancy on hormone levels is greater in these cases. That, coupled with the fact that women generally are affected by depression at twice the rate of men, has led researchers to take a closer look at the problem. Also being taken into consideration is that PPD can lead to the more serious condition of postpartum psychosis, a malady that is doubly dangerous because of the possibility, even likelihood, that the psychosis can lead to the mother harming herself or her baby.

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