Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Screening for Postpartum Depression: New Data on the EPDS

For women the postpartum period is a time of increased vulnerability to mood disorders. Recent estimates indicate that about 20% of women will suffer from significant depressive symptoms during the year after the birth of a child. Despite a significant push over the last decade to identify and effectively treat women with mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period, treatment rates in this population remain unacceptably low. Furthermore, questions still remain regarding the optimal timing of screening and the best instruments to be used in this setting.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T11:59:45-04:00April 2nd, 2013|Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Postpartum Depression in New Fathers: Being Younger is A Risk Factor

While postpartum depression (PPD) is typically considered to be a woman’s illness, a number of studies have suggested that, although men do not experience any of the dramatic physiologic or hormonal changes that go along with pregnancy, new fathers may also suffer from PPD. Several recent studies yield information on how to better identify new fathers at risk for depression.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T12:57:20-04:00March 19th, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors|Comments Off

Using the EPDS to Screen for Anxiety Disorders: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was designed to screen women for postnatal depression. Cox and Holden (2003) state that the EPDS was not designed to measure anxiety. However, recent emphasis on the importance of recognizing symptoms of perinatal anxiety disorders, coupled with findings in research, have led to the suggestion that the EPDS may be used as a multidimensional tool to screen for anxiety disorders in addition to depression during the perinatal period (Matthey et al, 2012).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-11-04T14:35:42-04:00March 11th, 2013|Anxiety Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Screening for Peripartum Anxiety Disorders: What Are the Best Screening Tools?

A significant number of women experience anxiety symptoms during pregnancy, with about 8.5% of women meeting criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. Other anxiety disorders are less common. The estimated prevalence of panic disorder during pregnancy is 1-2%. The estimated prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder is 0.2-1.2%. While we use certain tools, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to screen for depression during pregnancy, what are the best tools for indentifying women with clinically significant anxiety symptoms?

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2025-12-11T09:48:24-04:00February 12th, 2013|Anxiety Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Can We Use Twitter to Identify Women at Risk for Postpartum Depression?

There are many approaches to predicting which women are likely to develop postpartum depression (PPD). Most of these utilize standardized questionnaires and/or screening by health care providers. While these approaches may be effective, they tend to be costly and labor-intensive. A new study pilots the use of social media in predicting which women at risk for postpartum mood disorders.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-07-29T12:08:16-04:00January 30th, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Selenium and Risk of Postpartum Depression

Women are strongly encouraged to take prenatal vitamins, and there is significant data to indicate multiple benefits to the child, including decreased risk of various congenital defects and certain types of childhood cancers. Less understood is the impact of these supplements on the mother’s mental status and her risk for mood disorder during the perinatal period. A group of researchers from Alberta, Canada has recently examined the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms in women enrolled in the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study, specifically examining the nutrients ingested through supplements to determine whether any individual supplementary nutrients may modulate the risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:33:08-04:00January 28th, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors|Comments Off

Screening of Intimate Partner Violence Recommended for All Women of Reproductive Age

This is a topic we do not typically cover on our site, but it is clearly an important one. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated its recommendations on screening for family and intimate partner violence (IPV). These guidelines, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommend that all women of reproductive age be screened for intimate partner violence. The review provides some information on which screening instruments to use and reviews interventions to reduce the risk of IPV.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:36:28-04:00January 23rd, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, General, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, PTSD and Stress Related Disorders|Comments Off

Father’s Psychological Health and Its Impact on Child Development

While much attention has focused on the impact of maternal psychiatric illness on the well-being of the child, less is known about the impact of psychiatric illness in the father. A large population-based study from Norway examines the association between symptoms of psychological distress in expectant fathers and socioemotional and behavioral outcomes in their children at 36 months of age.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2017-03-28T09:56:33-04:00January 22nd, 2013|Child Outcomes, Depressive Disorders, Outcomes, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Being a Mother Scale: A New Instrument for Assessing the Experience of Motherhood

In our weekly clinical rounds, we recently discussed how motherhood is such a unique and personal experience for each woman. Often it is assumed that this transition into a new role is easy when for many it is not. How we assess a woman's experiences during the postpartum period is often limited to just her mood. I recently came across a new self-report instrument, The Being a Mother Scale (BaM-13) developed by Stephen Matthey which attempts to assess the “wider domain of the woman’s experience of motherhood” rather than just the presence or absence of a postpartum mood disorder.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:42:55-04:00January 15th, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Brief Scales for Identifying Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

While most agree that there is a need for improved detection of anxiety and mood disorders in pregnant and postpartum women, there remain questions regarding the best instruments to use for screening. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (a questionnaire consisting of 10 items) has long been used to screen women for postpartum depression (PPD); however, it is unclear how well these questions could be incorporated into larger surveillance programs, such as the CDC-sponsored Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) which was designed to assess health behaviors and to screen for health problems, including depression and anxiety, in pregnant and postpartum women.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:54:12-04:00December 13th, 2012|Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off