Women suffering with postnatal depression could benefit greatly from telephone-based peer support, a new study suggests.

Postnatal (postpartum) depression typically affects mothers within the first year of their baby's life, most often within the first four weeks. Symptoms can include low moods, feelings of sadness and loneliness, frequent crying for no apparent reason, anxiety, feeling unable to cope and lacking energy.

Estimates suggest that between 9% and 16% of new mothers experience this type of depression, with this risk higher if they go on to have more children.

"Postpartum depression is a major health concern not only for the mother, but for the child as well. Treatments are particularly important to prevent adverse effects on the mother-child relationship, and limit the potential impact on child development," commented the study's lead author, Prof Nicole Letourneau, of the University of Calgary in Canada.

The study involved 64 mothers who had suffered with postnatal depression for up to two years after having their babies. They received an average of nine support calls from peer volunteers - women who had recovered from postnatal depression themselves and who were then trained in peer support.

The average age of the 64 mothers was 26 and most had reported depressive symptoms before becoming pregnant. One in three was taking depression medication since the birth.

At the beginning of the study, 100% of the participants were moderately depressed. However after receiving peer support via telephone, this figure fell to just 8% mid way through the study and was 11% at the end of the study, which suggested some relapse, but was still a major drop.

According to the study's co-author, Prof Loretta Secco, of the University of New Brunswick, these findings highlight the importance of women being assessed for postnatal depression ‘and demonstrate the potential of telephone-based peer support to reduce it'.

"This non-judgmental support from peers seems to help overcome the stigma often associated with mental illness," she suggested.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.