Essential Reads: Screening for Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
According to a recent meta-analysis, about one out of every five women has at least one type of anxiety disorder during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
Essential Reads: Screening for Perinatal Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety symptoms are common during pregnancy and the postpartum period. According to a recent meta-analysis from Fawcett and colleagues, about one out of every five women has at least one type of anxiety disorder [...]
Fear of Childbirth: How Common is It? And What Should We Do?
Childbirth fear has been studied in Scandinavian countries for more than three decades; however, it has received less attention in other countries. In Australia, Toohill and colleagues reported high levels of childbirth fear, as measured [...]
Infants in the NICU: High Risk for PTSD in First-Time Mothers
Having a newborn child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is understandably stressful. Previous studies have demonstrated that mothers in this setting are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). In addition, a recent [...]
Serious Complications at Delivery Increase the Risk of Postpartum PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among women of child-bearing age. While we are increasingly attentive to screening for depressive symptoms after delivery, we may not always ask about PTSD symptoms. Importantly, PTSD symptoms that [...]
Postpartum PTSD As Common As Postpartum Depression
A recent study from McGill University has assessed the prevalence and course of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following childbirth. The sample included 308 women who were assessed at four time points: 25-40 weeks gestation, 4-6 weeks postpartum, 3 and 6 months postpartum. Current and prior PTSD were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) and the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale Self-Report (MPSS-SR).
Postpartum PTSD is Probably More Common Than You Think
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in approximately 10% of all women at some point in their lifetime. PTSD tends to occur more commonly in women during their childbearing years, yet we have only recently begun to look more closely at the incidence of PTSD associated with childbirth.Â