Physiological stress response in postpartum women with obsessive–compulsive disorder: A pilot study

Postpartum onset and/or worsening of anxiety disorders, particularly of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are scarcely reported in the literature although frequently observed in the clinical setting. These obsessions and compulsions focus primarily on the newborn and create immense distress in the mother. Research on the stress response in postpartum mothers is limited and the neuroendocrine correlates of OCD in particular are unclear. The …