Research from the CWMH: Screening for Postpartum Depression, Treatment Engagement, Barriers to Care
Further systematic research on outcomes after postpartum screening is needed to ensure that screening translates into improved clinical outcomes.
Essential Reads: How to Screen for Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Postpartum Women?
When obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) occurs during the postpartum period, women may experience typical OCD symptoms related to contamination and cleaning, catastrophic thoughts and checking, or symmetry and ordering. However, many women with postpartum OCD, as [...]
In Brief: ACOG Recommends Increased Level of Care During the “Fourth Trimester”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has made a significant change to its recommendations for optimal postpartum care. Previously, ACOG has recommended that women receive a single, comprehensive postpartum visit within the first [...]
The Pediatric Emergency Department: Another Opportunity for Postpartum Screening
Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released recommendations on Screening for Depression in Adults. The Task Force recommends that clinicians screen ALL ADULTS for depression and notes that the evidence indicates [...]
Will Insurers Make it More Difficult to Screen for Depression in Pregnancy and Postpartum Women?
You get pregnant. You have a baby. You want to do whatever you can to care for your baby should anything happen to you. So you apply for life insurance. All of this makes total [...]
Postpartum Depression is a Heterogeneous Illness
About 15% of women suffer from postpartum depression (PPD). It appears, however, that women with PPD constitute a heterogeneous population. One difference that we observe clinically is that a subgroup of women with PPD experience [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
Screening for Postpartum Depression Isn’t Enough
About ten years ago, we ran a collaborative project with our obstetrics department here at MGH where we screened all new mothers for postpartum depression. The screening went well. Nearly all the women completed the [...]
The Postpartum Stressors Scale: A Tool For Identifying Postpartum Women at Risk
Stressful life events occurring during pregnancy and the postpartum period have consistently been identified as a risk factor for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. While we have instruments to assess for stressful life events and [...]
Is It Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety? What’s The Difference?
Meet Christine. She is a married 30-year-old woman who just had her first baby about 3 weeks ago. While the pregnancy went smoothly, the experience of labor and delivery was difficult. After nearly 20 hours [...]
What Screening Tools Identify Postpartum Women with Bipolar Disorder?
Women with bipolar disorder (BD) are at extremely high risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, specifically postpartum psychosis. While the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recommends that all women be screened for depression during [...]