• postpartum screening

    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.

    Screening for Perinatal Depression: What Can We Learn From Australia?

    In 2009, the Australian government launched the National Perinatal Depression Initiative (NPDI) in order “to improve the prevention and early detection of antenatal and postnatal depression and to provide better support and treatment for expectant and new mothers experiencing depression.” Its scope is very much like the MOTHERS Act, which became law in the United States in 2010. Both initiatives seek to increase public awareness of perinatal depression, to provide support and treatment for pregnant and postpartum women with depression, to fund research in this area, and to implement training of health care professionals. 

    Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to Screen for Antenatal Depression: Once is Not Enough

    Over the past few years, there has been a push to screen women for depression both during pregnancy and the postpartum period.   While there have been various initiatives mandating screening, there remain questions regarding the optimal timing of screening and the best screening tools to use.

    American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Screening for Postpartum Depression

    Postpartum depression is experienced by 10-15% of women and carries risks to both mother and baby.  Untreated maternal depression is associated with negative outcomes for children including behavioral problems, cognitive or developmental delays and impaired attachment.  Treatment of a mother’s depression can improve not only her own functioning and quality of life, but can improve her children’s symptoms as well (Pilowsky 2008).  Given the importance of a mother’s mental health on her baby’s well-being, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a recent report which recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression at baby’s one-, two-, and four-month visits (Earls 2010).

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