Oxytocin is used to facilitate childbirth and is important for social bonding. The latter role suggests that synthetic oxytocin would decrease postpartum depression or anxiety, but the opposite seems to be the case, conclusions from abstract:
CONCLUSIONS:Contrary to our hypothesis, results indicate that women with peripartum exposure to synthetic oxytocin had a higher relative risk of receiving a documented depressive or anxiety disorder diagnosis or antidepressant/anxiolytic prescription within the first year postpartum than women without synthetic oxytocin exposure.
There may be many variables involved here, but perhaps – and this is my hypothesis – excess oxytocin above and beyond natural levels causes a negative feedback with respect to its emotional effects?
In any case, this is how science is done, you make a hypothesis and test it. The authors noted that their hypothesis was wrong, enabling the field to move forward. That’s how it is properly done.
