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Treatments for postpartum depression are few but evolving.

Antidepressants can be effective, yet weeks are needed to reach recovery, and side effects may endure.

A new short-acting treatment, mebufotenin, shows promise.

Alongside recent news of tragic outcomes in untreated postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety are significantly more prevalent—affecting one in five new mothers—and in urgent need of treatments. Mebufotenin, a psychedelic with a long history, offered surprisingly positive results in a recent trial (Johnson et al., 2026). PPD and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs, which encompass PPD) are difficult to treat, yet affect both parent and infant—and frequently an entire family.

Treating PMADs is challenging for several reasons. Treatments must be well-tolerated by mother and—if she’s breastfeeding—infant. To gain wide acceptance, treatments need low side-effect profiles and low burden of use. Mothers need to be able to swiftly get back to supporting themselves and their newborn, and anyone else they choose to care for.

Traditionally, antidepressants work for PMADs, but women often wait weeks to access a prescriber and prescription, and additional weeks before experiencing positive effects (sometimes accompanied by negative side........

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