Suicide Attempts More Common During Postpartum Period, and More Lethal
A recent study from Japan uses a retrospective review of medical records to estimate the prevalence of suicide attempts among pregnant and postpartum women.
Improved Screening for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety, But What Now?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now recommends screening for perinatal depression and anxiety, stating that “clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for depression and anxiety symptoms using [...]
COVID-19 Positive Mothers and Newborns: What Should we Recommend?
In an effort to decrease the spread of COVID-19, public health officials have recommended that we minimize close physical contact with others and furthermore require those with either suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection to [...]
Long-Term Outcomes of Postpartum Psychosis: What is the Risk of Recurrence?
Postpartum psychosis is the most severe form of postpartum psychiatric illness. It occurs in fewer than one out of every 1000 women after childbirth. Many women who have suffered from postpartum psychosis (PP) wonder [...]
Reproductive psychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr. Lee S. Cohen, Director of the Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently shared his insights on the practice of reproductive psychiatry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with Ob.Gyn News on [...]
COVID-19 Registry Launched to Track Pregnant Women and Newborns
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, we have limited information regarding COVID-19 during pregnancy; however, in the absence of adequate information, we consider pregnant women to be an at-risk population for [...]
Development of Zuranolone (SAGE 217) for PPD Will Move Forward
Zuranolone or SAGE-217 is similar to brexanolone (marketed as Zulresso), the medication which was FDA-approved for the treatment of postpartum depression. Zuranolone is a neurosteroid, an analogue of allopregnanolone, which is a positive allosteric [...]
Dr. Marlene Freeman on Practicing Psychiatry During the Coronavirus Pandemic
As mental health providers, most of us are not on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we are feeling the ripples. Given the magnitude of this crisis and its significant impact on [...]
Telephone-Based Interpersonal Therapy for PPD is Effective
Interpersonal therapy (IPT) has been shown to be effective for the treatment of postpartum depression. Typically this treatment is delivered in person; however given limited access to specialized providers, recent research has explored the [...]
Is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Effective for Postpartum Depression?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an FDA approved treatment for major depression, is a noninvasive procedure which uses magnetic fields to stimulate specific areas of the brain. It is not commonly used as a first [...]