screening - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Screening for Peripartum Anxiety Disorders: What Are the Best Screening Tools?

A significant number of women experience anxiety symptoms during pregnancy, with about 8.5% of women meeting criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. Other anxiety disorders are less common. The estimated prevalence of panic disorder during pregnancy is 1-2%. The estimated prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder is 0.2-1.2%. While we use certain tools, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to screen for depression during pregnancy, what are the best tools for indentifying women with clinically significant anxiety symptoms?

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2025-12-11T09:48:24-04:00February 12th, 2013|Anxiety Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Can We Use Twitter to Identify Women at Risk for Postpartum Depression?

There are many approaches to predicting which women are likely to develop postpartum depression (PPD). Most of these utilize standardized questionnaires and/or screening by health care providers. While these approaches may be effective, they tend to be costly and labor-intensive. A new study pilots the use of social media in predicting which women at risk for postpartum mood disorders.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-07-29T12:08:16-04:00January 30th, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

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.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:54:12-04:00December 13th, 2012|Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off

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.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-11T09:57:25-04:00October 17th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

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).

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2026-01-11T11:58:15-04:00September 30th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, PTSD and Stress Related Disorders|Comments Off

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.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T12:23:32-04:00July 30th, 2012|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Depression, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

A Blood Test for Identifying Women at Risk for Postpartum Depression?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could identify women who were at risk for postpartum depression (PPD)? Maybe if we could do that, we could actually prevent the depression from occurring. Or at least, we could intervene in some way so that the depression would not significantly affect the mother and her family.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T14:59:41-04:00June 4th, 2012|Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|Comments Off