ABSTRACT
If it’s normal for new mothers to experience scary thoughts, how does a mother know what’s okay and what’s not okay? When should healthcare providers disregard scary thoughts as a typical response to the demands of new motherhood, and when should they treat them as a symptom of an anxiety disorder or depression? In view of the facts that postpartum moods fluctuate significantly and that a certain degree of emotional instability is expected, careful attention to the nature and impact of these scary thoughts is indicated.
