Prevention of depression in pregnant women and new mothers – new recommendations

At present, all new mothers are screened for symptoms of depression and help is provided to those in need of care. The US Preventive Services Task Force has now urged physicians to examine the risk of depression in pregnant women and to provide adequate counseling and support to prevent the onset of depression after childbirth . The report was published Journal of the American Medical Association this week.

Image Credit: Alex Linch / Shutterstock

According to the US Prevention Services Working Group, one in seven women suffers from perinatal depression, that is, depression during pregnancy or after childbirth. Postpartum depression or baby blues, as it is commonly called, can profoundly affect women, causing depressive symptoms, anxiety, intense sadness, lack of energy, lack of ability to tie links or to take care of the newborn, etc. suicidal thoughts, self harm or harm to the baby. This week, the task force therefore urged doctors to identify pregnant women at risk for depression and treat them before the situation worsened.

The task force points out that for perinatal depression (depression during pregnancy or in the year following delivery), two types of advice might be suggested. One of them is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. This helps patients overcome their negative thoughts and manage them effectively. The other form of therapy is interpersonal therapy that targets relationship problems that may be at the root of depression. These two tips could be given individually or in groups. To determine the effectiveness of counseling with these women, the task force reviewed 50 studies and found that various methods were being used to treat perinatal depression. This included antidepressants, omega-3 fatty acids, physical activity, patient education and counseling.

Karina Davidson, a member of the team that wrote the recommendation, said, "We can prevent this devastating disease and it is time for us to do it." babies.

Identifiable risk factors identified by the task force to enable health care providers to identify the risk of depression include:

• History of depression
• Depression in the family
• Unwanted or unplanned pregnancy
• Sexual or physical violence past or present
• Early pregnancies
• Pregnant women from low income groups

Along with these new recommendations, an editorial by Dr. Marlene Freeman, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School at Mbadachusetts General Hospital, was published in the same issue. She says it's hard for many women to have access to specialists. Experts suggested using a smartphone to help women whose risk is detected. The editorial says that when they are detected, health care providers must act quickly before symptoms appear. She added, however, that this initiative could "improve many lives" and could "lead to better outcomes for the life of the mother and the child". She added that future research would enable doctors to quickly find simple detection tools to detect perinatal depression.

The Task Force's previous recommendation in 2016 suggested screening for depression in all adults, including pregnant women. According to experts, this year, perinatal depression is a priority. "We currently have evidence that if you find women who are not currently depressed but are at risk of becoming pregnant during pregnancy or one year after childbirth, behavioral counseling can help them prevent this disease," he said. said Davidson.