Background: Postpartum depression is a significant mental health concern, especially for women in vulnerable populations. Mothers with mood or anxiety disorders exhibit less optimal interactive behavior. Oxytocin, a hormone essential for a variety of maternal tasks, including labor, lactation, and infant bonding, has also been hypothesized to have a role in postpartum depression. The neuropeptide oxytocin has been linked to more optimal interactive behaviors in mothers without mental illness, and it may play a particularly beneficial role in mothers with mood or anxiety disorders given its antidepressant and anxiolytic functions