According to Dr. Mark Gold (who wrote “The Good News About Depression“–have I mentioned I hate that title?), a major problem in today’s society is that there is no support from extended family for depressed mothers.
Gold says this:

In the past, when extended families were the rule, the baby would be able to make a good attachment with a grandmother or aunt. Today infant psychiatrists (wow, I didn’t know these existed!) and other specialized health care workers step in to correct the mother-child interaction is the mother comes for help.

That was very true in my case.
As I wrote in my post, “12 Ways to Wait for Recovery,” Eric and I eventually had to dig into our savings because no one in our extended families was able to pitch in to the degree that we needed. Even though we’ll have to work an extra year or two before we retire, we haven’t regretted spending the dough, because that extra hand was what ultimately helped me recover.
Visit Katherine Stone’s blog, “Postpartum Progress” for even more ideas on where to get support after childbirth.