2019•The Encyclopedia of Women and CrimeRequires access
Postpartum Syndromes
Jennifer E. Capps
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Abstract
Postpartum syndromes are psychiatric conditions that impact new mothers. Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are the most serious postpartum syndromes and afflict women at the rates of 7–15% and 0.01–0.02%, respectively. Postpartum conditions capture media attention when their relationship to the commission of heinous crimes like infanticide are brought to light. Postpartum psychosis has been shown to be the more effective explanation for criminal behavior than postpartum depression in all stages of the criminal justice system especially as it relates to verdicts of “not guilty by reason of insanity.”