Postpartum depression is a serious disorder that affects as many as 15% of new mothers at some point during the first year after the birth of a child. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that depression is very different from the “baby blues,” which is a common period of low mood in new mothers brought on by hormonal changes. For mothers or newborns, postpartum depression is often further compounded by anxiety that is in some cases serious enough to qualify as a disorder of its own. The good news, however, is that both conditions, although not curable, are quite treatable.