PPD - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

New Baby 101: Practical Intervention Strategy Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression

An intervention teaching new parents about normal infant sleeping and crying patterns and providing them with techniques for infant settling improves mothers' depression scores. There were no differences in scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 4 months, but at 6 months, caregivers in the intervention group were almost half as likely to score higher than 9 on the EPDS, with 7.9% scoring higher than 9 in the intervention group vs. 12.9% in the control cohort (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.57).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-07T14:53:22-04:00January 13th, 2014|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevention, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

Shorter Maternity Leave Associated with Risk of Postpartum Depression

The current leave duration provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act is 12 weeks. However, a recent study indicates that women who return to work sooner than six months after childbirth were at an increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2020-12-11T12:42:58-04:00December 24th, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Postpartum Depression and Bonding Difficulties: Different but Interrelated Problems

A mother’s emotional relationship with her baby begins during her pregnancy. The mother’s feelings about her baby, described as bonding, typically grow and intensify after the baby’s birth and become the foundation of the mother’s relationship with her child.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-08-09T12:21:31-04:00December 18th, 2013|Child Outcomes, Outcomes, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

Understanding the Link between Trauma History and Risk of Perinatal Depression

While we are becoming more attentive to screening for depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period, we may not always ask about a history of trauma, especially when a woman has had what most would consider an “uncomplicated” pregnancy. A recent study, however, indicates that a history of trauma may be a risk factor for depression during pregnancy.

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2026-01-11T11:58:12-04:00November 15th, 2013|Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, PTSD and Stress Related Disorders|Comments Off

Interpersonal Therapy Based Intervention Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression in Teen Mothers

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a relatively common problem, affecting between 10% and 15% of women after delivery. Although it is difficult to reliably predict which women in the general population will experience postpartum mood disturbance, it is possible to identify certain subgroups of women who are more vulnerable. One such group is teen mothers, where the risk of PPD is about 25%.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-07T14:39:54-04:00October 30th, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies for the Treatment of Perinatal Depression: A Review

In an excellent and thoughtful review article, Kristina Deligiannidis and Marlene Freeman (from the MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health) summarize data on the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine therapies for the treatment of perinatal depression. This is one of the most thorough reviews on CAM and provides thoughtful, evidence-based recommendations regarding the use of these treatments for women with perinatal depression. It is definitely worth tracking down a copy of this review, but if you can’t find it, here is a summary.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-05T14:29:47-04:00September 30th, 2013|Alternative & Complementary, Depressive Disorders, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Treatment|Comments Off

Pregnancy Loss Increases the Risk of Postpartum Psychiatric Illness

Pregnancy loss may cause great psychological stress for women. How such a loss, whether or not the woman identifies it as a stressor, affects her emotional well-being after the birth of a future child is unknown. In order to better understand the relationship between pregnancy loss and risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, researchers assessed 192 women at their first-year pediatric well-child care visits in an urban pediatric clinic. In this group of low income mothers, 49% of the women reported a previous pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, or induced abortion).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-05T14:50:05-04:00September 23rd, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Pregnancy Loss, Prevalence & Risk Factors|Comments Off

Brief Screening Tools for Postpartum Depression

Various screening tools have been used to identify women with postpartum depression (PPD. The most widely used self-report tools for detection of PPD are the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) having ten and 21 items, respectively. However, the EPDS and the BDI may be too lengthy to use for quickly screening patients in obstetric, primary care, or pediatric settings.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-05T14:53:55-04:00September 13th, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

What is the Link between PMS and Postpartum Depression?

Women with premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder experience symptoms during the premenstrual phase of their cycles. Because levels of estrogen and progesterone do not differ significantly between women with PMS and those without, it has long been hypothesized that PMS/PMDD represents an abnormal response to normal hormonal fluctuations (Schmidt et al, 1998).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T08:52:12-04:00August 29th, 2013|PMS & PMDD, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors|Comments Off

Postpartum Depression in Women with Babies in the NICU

Having a newborn child to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is stressful to parents. It would be easy to imagine that in this environment, women may be more vulnerable to postpartum depression (PPD). A recent study assessed the incidence of PPD in a total of 131 mothers with infant admitted to the NICU.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T09:06:17-04:00August 13th, 2013|Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off