According to a recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, one in five pregnant women experience at least one type of anxiety disorder. While this may be surprising to some, anybody who works [...]
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and complicated illness, affecting about 15% of women in the perinatal period. Recent research from the PACT consortium (Postpartum Depression: Action Toward Causes and Treatment) has sought to classify [...]
In the earliest studies, postpartum depression was described an episode of depression associated with childbirth, typically emerging within the first three months after delivery. As more research has been carried out, we have learned [...]
This week includes several good reviews. The first one is a review of postpartum anxiety. Thomson and Sharma review the treatment of bipolar disorder during pregnancy. And there is also a review of IPT [...]
Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women and their families. While we clearly understand the potential for perinatal loss to cause significant emotional consequences, we have relatively little data on the prevalence of anxiety [...]
The role of the gut microbiome in mood disorders is an emerging, fascinating field in neuroscience and medicine. Numerous studies have shown that the gut microbiota (colonies of both “good” and “bad” bacteria living in [...]
We are very pleased to announce the release of the MGH Perinatal Depression Scale available free of charge on the App Store (https://appsto.re/us/-3X4jb.i). The MGHPDS smartphone app includes digital versions of perinatal depression screening tools [...]
Often referred to as the “hormone of love," oxytocin plays an important role in childbirth, maternal behavior, lactation, social affiliation, and sexual pleasure. Levels of oxytocin, a neuropeptide produced by the hypothalamus and released into [...]
Several studies suggest that postpartum anxiety is relatively common among postpartum women and may even be more common than depression. Emerging evidence also suggests that a large number of postpartum women who do not [...]
Many studies have documented the finding that exposure to maternal psychiatric illness early on in the child’s life may adversely affect the child’s cognitive, emotional and behavioral development. These early studies focused on the impact [...]
