Does Universal Screening for Depression in Perinatal Populations Lead to Better Outcomes?
Over the last decade, there has been increased interest around the country in establishing consistent screening for perinatal depression across a range of clinical settings. Approximately 40 states have instituted guidelines and recommendations regarding screening for postpartum depression. These positive developments, in part, follow recommendations from both the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to move toward routine screening for depression, particularly among vulnerable [...]
New Study at the CWMH: Brexanolone (SAGE-547) for Postpartum Depression
In 2015, we first reported on SAGE-547 (SAGE Therapeutics), a new medication for the treatment of severe postpartum depression. Â SAGE-547, now called brexanolone, is a new type of antidepressant: a formulation of allopregnanolone, which is an endogenous, naturally occurring neuroactive steroid and a metabolite of progesterone. Â Data from the most recent study of brexanolone was just published in Lancet. Â This was a Phase 2 clinical trial of SAGE-547 for the [...]
In Brief: Problem-Solving Education Intervention Reduces Risk of Postpartum Depression
While many women are at risk for postpartum depression, we continue to struggle in providing adequate support and care to women in this setting, especially socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Â In a randomized clinical trial including 230 Head Start mothers, those receiving problem-solving education (PSE) were 60% less likely to develop postpartum depression than those receiving standard care. Â One of the most exciting aspects of these findings is the simplicity of this [...]
New Research from the CWMH: Lithium During Pregnancy and Risk of Cardiovascular Malformations
 While we use lithium less commonly now than we have in the past, lithium is still one of the very best mood stabilizers we have.  And with regard to its reproductive safety, we have studies going back nearly 50 years.  In the 1970s, reports from the International Register of Lithium Babies suggested a very strong association between exposure to maternal lithium treatment during pregnancy and Ebstein's anomaly, a right [...]
Weekly Roundup for June 16, 2017: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
This roundup has some really interesting and clinically relevant  articles.  The first one, from Palomo and colleagues, evaluates risk for cardiovascular malformations in children prenatally exposed to lithium.  Yang and colleagues look at neonatal discontinuation symptoms in children exposed to SNRIs and SSRIs and conclude that they are more related to prematurity than to exposure to antidepressants.  Analyzing data from Danish Medical Register, researchers note that first onset of depression or [...]
New Study Questions Prolonged Room-Sharing for Infants
In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new infant sleep guidelines,  recommending that  infants should sleep in the same room as their parents – on a separate firm sleep surface, such as a crib or bassinet -- to decrease the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths.  The following 19 recommendations are based on epidemiologic studies which have identified risk factors for sleep-related deaths during the first year of [...]