The American journal of nursing
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Postpartum depression is a crippling mood disorder, historically neglected in health care, leaving mothers to suffer in fear, confusion, and silence. Undiagnosed it can adversely affect the mother-infant relationship and lead to long-term emotional problems for the child. This article differentiates postpartum depression from other postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and addresses these aspects of postpartum depression: symptoms, prevalence, risk factors, interventions, and the effects on relationships and child development. Instruments available to screen for postpartum depression are also reviewed.
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The health risks of overweight and obesity have been well documented. For example, even a 15-lb. weight gain increases a person's risk of diabetes by 50%. In turn, losing as little as 11 lbs. can reduce a person's risk of diabetes by the same percentage. Why, then, aren't more Americans losing weight? This article explores the rising incidence of overweight and obesity in the United States, the reasons so many people fail to lose weight or maintain a weight loss, and the potential for nurses to turn the tide on this epidemic.