A surge of clinical and research interest in postpartum mood disturbances has recently lead to a greater understanding of their phenomenology, etiologies, relationships to one another and to psychiatric disorders. Summarizing these recent advances in theory, research, and treatment, "Postpartum Mood Disorders" hypothesizes that the traditional categories of postpartum mood disorders& mdash;postpartum & ldquo;blues,& rdquo; postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis& mdash;are not necessarily on a continuum. Though interrelated in some cases, these categories represent distinct postpartum states, with different phenomenologies, etiologies, predictive factors, and treatments.

Focusing on the biological aspects of puerperal mood disturbance, the book& rsquo;s first section explores how the ubiquitous, mild postpartum mood changes known as & ldquo;baby blues& rdquo; can be caused by the effects of sudden hormonal withdrawal. It further reviews data about how postpartum depression relates to mood changes occurring at other parts of the reproductive cycle, such as menopause; examines the pattern of mood changes across the reproductive cycle in relation to hormonal changes; and describes cultural differences in understanding, conceptualizing and reacting to postpartum mood changes.

Reviewing the clinical features and differential diagnosis of postpartum psychosis, this timely monograph investigates data about whether psychoses of postpartum onset differs from other psychoses in terms of phenomenology, family history and prognosis, and addresses the acute and long-term impact of major postpartum psychiatric disorders on children& mdash;a central question for families andclinicians.

The book& rsquo;s second section covers treatment strategies for postpartum disorders, examining psychotherapeutic modalities as well as pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions, including the role of self-help groups and volunteer networks, and their relationship to professional care systems.

Authored by pioneering clinicians, researchers, and self-help volunteers who have worked with new mothers and their families in dealing with postpartum mood disturbances, "Postpartum Mood Disorders" provides a much-needed, thorough coverage of a highly prevalent, but often misunderstood, subject.

For the first 150 years of their existence, "natural foods" were consumed primarily by body-builders, hippies, religious sects, and believers in nature cure. And those consumers were dismissed by the medical establishment and food producers as kooks, faddists, and dangerous quacks. In the 1980s, broader support for natural foods took hold and the past fifteen years have seen an explosion everything from healthy-eating superstores to mainstream institutions like hospitals, schools, and workplace cafeterias advertising their fresh-from-the-garden ingredients.Building Nature's Market shows how the meaning of natural foods was transformed as they changed from a culturally marginal, religiously inspired set of ideas and practices valorizing asceticism to a bohemian lifestyle to a mainstream consumer choice. Laura J. Miller argues that the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the leadership of the natural foods industry. Rather than a simple tale of cooptation by market forces, Miller contends the participation of business interests encouraged the natural foods movement to be guided by a radical skepticism of established cultural authority. She challenges assumptions that private enterprise is always aligned with social elites, instead arguing that profit-minded entities can make common cause with and even lead citizens in advocating for broad-based social and cultural change.

Over the past half-century, bookselling, like many retail industries, has evolved from an arena dominated by small independent shops to one in which chain stores have significant market share. And as other retail fields, this transformation has often been a less-than-smooth process. But this has been especially pronounced in bookselling, argues Laura J. Miller, because more than most other consumer goods, books are the focus of passionate debate about commercialism. What drives that debate? And why do so many people believe that bookselling should be immune to questions of profit?In "Reluctant Capitalists," Miller looks at a century of book retailing, demonstrating that the independent-chain dynamic is not entirely new. It began a hundred years ago when department stores began selling books, continued through the 1960s with the emergence of national chain stores, and exploded with the formation of "superstores" in the 1990s. The advent of the Internet has further spurred tremendous changes in how booksellers approach their business. All of these changes have met resistance from book professionals and readers who believe that the book business should not be captive to market forces, but should also embrace more noble priorities. Miller uses historical data and interviews with bookstore customers and members of the book industry to explain why books evoke such distinct and heated reactions. She reveals why customers seek out certain bookstores and why book professionals identify so strongly with different types of books. In the process, she also teases out the meanings of retailing and consumption in American culture at large, underscoring her point that consumer behavior is inevitablypolitical, with consequences for communities as well as commercial institutions.