Postpartum depression without delivering a child?

OBJECTIVE

Depression in people related to delivering women is documented in their mates, but only anecdotal in other family members. We describe a case of depression in a woman who had previously experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her nephew.

METHOD: A clinical description of the case.

RESULTS

A 53-year-old woman, hysterectomized at age 47 years, was admitted for attempted suicide. She developed major depressive episode 1 month after her daughter had delivered a son. She had a past history of two postpartum depressive episodes clinically identical to the current episode. The episode resolved after 5 weeks. At 1-year follow-up, the patient is still asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION

Psychological and cultural factors were at play in this case more than hormonal and biopsychosocial ones.