Reviewed by Gwyneth Little, LLL East Lothian This is a very important and necessary book, given that depression is the most common complication of childbirth, affecting on average 12-25% of new mothers. However, it is not an easy book to read, firstly because it contains some harrowing stories (we get no further than page four before learning of the mother who, suffering from postpartum psychosis, drowned her five young children in the bathtub) and secondly because it is essentially a textbook for health professionals, with much medical jargon and extensive research references. However, it is easy to consult, being clearly laid out and containing useful summaries at the end of each chapter, and the language is certainly not beyond the motivated layperson. In the “Overview”, the author, who is a professional psychologist as well as an IBCLC and a mother herself, addresses the myths and reality of postnatal depression (PND), gives a checklist of the main signs and symptoms (useful for distinguishing between transitory baby “blues” and more serious conditions), describes associated disorders and looks at the impact of depression on mothers, their children and the whole family. Rather alarmingly for the mother’s long-term health, research has found links between depression (particularly where untreated) and cardiovascular disease, reduced immunity and general poor health behaviours. Of course there is also an impact on the baby, for whom the effects may be lifelong. How to handle this knowledge is often a very delicate issue, however, as a mother’s belief that her depression has somehow “ruined” her child might in extreme cases drive her to consider infanticide.