How Long Does Postpartum Depression Last?

Your baby is four months old. The heaviness was supposed to lift by now, and it hasn’t. It’s 2 a.m., the baby is finally asleep, and you are typing the same question into your phone again. (An illustration, not a real client.)

Want to talk it through? Contact us or check your insurance. We offer postpartum support, individual therapy and couples therapy by secure video in 10 states and in person in Wellington, Florida, plus medication management in three states (full list below).

There is no fixed timeline. The baby blues usually ease within two weeks of birth. Postpartum depression lasts longer, often months, and for some people it continues past the baby’s first birthday, especially without treatment. It is treatable, and you don’t have to wait to see whether it passes on its own.

Baby blues or postpartum depression: how long each lasts

The answer depends on which one you’re dealing with, so start by telling them apart.

• The baby blues often start two or three days after birth. You may feel weepy, anxious, irritable or overwhelmed, and the feelings come and go. They usually get better on their own within a few days to two weeks, without treatment.
• Postpartum depression is stronger and lasts longer. Mood changes that are severe, or that last longer than two weeks after the birth, may be postpartum depression. It usually shows up within the first weeks after the baby arrives, though it can appear later, up to a year after the birth. It can also start during pregnancy, which is why you’ll sometimes hear the wider term perinatal depression.

So if you’re past the two-week mark and still feel low, numb, hopeless or on edge most days, treat it as more than the blues. That isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a reason to have a conversation with someone qualified.

How long postpartum depression lasts without treatment

The National Institute of Mental Health says people with postpartum depression generally won’t feel better without treatment. Research on how long it lasts points the same way. A review of long-term studies found that most women recover, but for a sizable group the depression becomes chronic and lasts well past the first year. A National Institutes of Health study that followed nearly 5,000 mothers in New York State found that, for a smaller group, depressive symptoms were still high three years after the birth.

Those findings describe groups of people, not you. Nobody can tell you in advance how long yours will last. What the research does make clear is that waiting it out is not a reliable plan.

Why it lasts longer for some people

There’s no single cause, and nothing you did caused it. Things linked with postpartum depression, or with a longer course, include:

• A history of depression, anxiety or another mood disorder, before or during pregnancy
• Deep, ongoing exhaustion, which can take weeks to recover from after a birth and longer after a cesarean
• Little practical or emotional support at home
• Stressful events stacked on top of the birth, such as a sick baby, a move, money strain or a loss
• Symptoms that never get named, because nobody asked, or because you didn’t recognize yourself in the checklist

Some of these you can’t change. Others, like sleep, support and getting the depression named, are exactly where treatment starts.

Signs it isn’t just the baby blues

Postpartum depression doesn’t always look like sadness. For many people it shows up as irritability, numbness or constant worry. Signs to take seriously include:

• A sad, anxious or empty mood most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more
• Feeling hopeless, guilty or worthless, or sure you’re a bad parent
• Irritability, frustration or restlessness that feels out of character
• Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
• Trouble sleeping even when the baby is asleep, or sleeping far more than usual
• Changes in appetite, trouble concentrating or trouble making decisions
• Trouble bonding with your baby, or constant doubts that you can care for them
• Thoughts of death, of harming yourself or of harming the baby

If the last one is happening, skip ahead to when to get help today. If several of the others fit, our depression self-check can help you decide on a next step, and our guide to finding a postpartum depression counselor covers screening and what treatment looks like.

What helps it end sooner

Postpartum depression responds to treatment. The main options are therapy, medication or both, plus practical changes at home.

• Talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy are the two approaches with the most research behind them for depression around pregnancy and birth. CBT works on the thoughts that keep depression running, like “everyone else can do this.” Interpersonal therapy focuses on the role changes and relationship strain a baby brings. All of our clinicians use CBT, in every state we serve.
• Medication, for some people, alongside therapy (more on this below).
• Sleep and support. Protecting one longer stretch of sleep, sharing night feeds and getting real help at home are part of treatment, not extras. Exhaustion and a lack of support are among the factors obstetricians link to postpartum depression.
• Your partner. When the relationship has turned into a list of handoffs, sessions together can help you share the load and talk about more than logistics.

Medication management is available by telehealth in Florida, New Jersey and Colorado only, through our board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. Some medications carry additional requirements for remote prescribing, and the rules have changed several times in recent years. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, medication decisions are coordinated with your OB. In our other states, we provide therapy and work alongside your own prescriber.

There is no set number of sessions. Your clinician should check in with you regularly about whether it’s helping, and change course if it isn’t.

Ready to start? Get in touch or check your insurance. You do not need a diagnosis or a referral to start. Just tell us a little about what is going on and we will match you with a clinician licensed in your state.

Is it too late if your baby is older?

No. Depression that started after a birth doesn’t stop being treatable because the baby turned one, or three. Our page on therapy for new mothers answers that question in more detail. If the year has been hard but you don’t see yourself in the depression checklist, that page is written for you too.

Fathers and partners can have it too

Depression after a birth isn’t limited to the person who gave birth. A large review of studies found that fathers can become depressed during pregnancy and in the year after the baby arrives, and that a father’s depression tends to go along with depression in the mother. Our clinicians see new fathers and partners too, on their own or alongside the birthing parent.

When to get help today

Don’t wait for an appointment if any of these are true:

• You’re thinking about suicide or about harming yourself. Call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), day or night.
• You have thoughts of harming your baby that feel like urges or plans, or you feel you might act on them. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now. Sudden, unwanted thoughts that horrify you are different and common, and they are still worth telling a clinician about.
• If there’s confusion, hallucinations or losing touch with reality, that’s an emergency: call 911 or go to the ER.
• You can’t eat, sleep or care for yourself or the baby. Call your OB, midwife or doctor the same day.

If you need support and it isn’t an emergency, call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262). It’s free, confidential and open 24 hours, and partners and family members can use it too.

Common questions

How long does postpartum depression last without treatment?

It varies too much to give a number. People with postpartum depression generally don’t feel better without treatment, and long-term studies show it can continue past the first year for some. Treatment is the most reliable way to shorten it.

Can postpartum depression start months after birth?

Yes. It most often starts in the first weeks, but it can begin any time up to a year after having a baby. A slow start doesn’t make it less real or less treatable.

Can postpartum depression last for years?

For some people, yes, especially when it isn’t treated or there’s an earlier history of depression. That’s one reason researchers have suggested screening mothers for longer than the first few months. It’s also a reason to start treatment whenever you notice it, even if it feels late.

Can I get help while I’m still pregnant?

Yes. We see pregnant clients for depression and anxiety in every state listed below. You don’t have to wait until the baby arrives.

Does insurance cover therapy for postpartum depression?

Often, yes. We are in network with Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (including UMR plans), Blue Cross Blue Shield and Tricare, with some differences by state: Blue Cross Blue Shield is out of network in South Carolina and Illinois, and Tricare is not in network in Illinois. We can verify your benefits free. Self-pay is $125 per individual session and $175 for couples or family sessions, each 45–50 minutes, and $200–$250 for an extended 90-minute individual, couples or EMDR session.

Where We Work

We offer postpartum support by secure video in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee, and in person with one of our in-person clinicians at our Wellington, Florida office. You must be located in one of these states during each session. In-person times at our Cary, North Carolina office are full right now, so new North Carolina clients start by video, and all New Jersey sessions are by secure video. Meet the clinicians on our therapists page.

More on This

• Postpartum Depression Counselor Near Me: How to Find Support
• Therapy for New Mothers: Adjusting to Motherhood
• Am I Depressed? A Depression Self-Check
• Postpartum Therapy in Florida: In Person in Wellington or by Video Statewide
• Intrusive Thoughts: Why They Happen and What They Mean
• The Mental Load: Unequal Responsibilities and the Resentment They Build