Essential Reads: Peer Support Interventions for Perinatal Depression
Peer support interventions can reduce the incidence of postpartum depression and the severity of depressive symptoms.
Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Infant Sleep and Maternal Sleep and Mental Health
Changes in maternal sleep and circadian rhythms during pregnancy are associated with infant sleep problems and maternal depression and anxiety.
Maternal Self-Efficacy as a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
Postpartum depression first gained medical attention in the 1970’s. While postpartum depression is similar to depression occurring at other times in a woman’s life, we have learned over time that many women with what we [...]
Preventing postpartum depression: Start with women at greatest risk
Dr. Lee S. Cohen, Director of the Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently shared his insights on preventing postpartum depression with Ob.Gyn News on January 30, 2019 The last decade [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
What Were We Thinking? A New Approach to Preventing Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
What Were We Thinking (WWWT) is a psychoeducational program for couples which was designed to prevent postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in first-time mothers. The hope is that by addressing relevant and potentially modifiable risk [...]
Can the EPDS Be Used During Pregnancy to Predict PPD?
Various instruments have been used to detect postpartum depression (PPD). However, rather than waiting for depression to occur, can we possibly identify women during pregnancy who will go on to develop postpartum illness? If we [...]
Positive Parenting Can Reduce Risk for Postpartum Depression
A recent study investigated the effectiveness of two pediatric primary care interventions for reducing the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms. The researchers tested two interventions designed to promote parental responsiveness: Video Interaction Project (VIP) is [...]
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).
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Prevent Onset of Psychotic Disorders in High Risk Populations
Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are devastating disorders that usually require chronic care and impact individuals and their family members greatly in terms of morbidity and mortality. Research has helped to identify those who may be at greatest risk for developing psychotic disorders. Strategies to prevent psychotic disorders would alleviate suffering and have great public health significance.
Prevention of Postpartum Depression
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 to postpartum affective illness. Women who have had one episode of postpartum depression have about a 50% chance of experiencing another episode of PPD after a subsequent pregnancy. The extent to which a history of depression (prior to pregnancy) influences risk is less clear, but some studies indicate that between 30% and 50% will suffer from recurrent depression during the postpartum period. Several investigators have recently explored the potential efficacy of prophylactic interventions in these populations of women at risk.