Pediatricians can help prevent a host of childhood problems by better screening for postpartum depression, announced the American Academy of Pediatrics (APP). Simply checking in with the mother to see if she has been feeling down or depressed can indicate that intervention may be needed.
Depression in new mothers ranges from fleeting ‘baby blues,’ which typically consist of crying, anxiety, and mood swings that can afflict up to 80 per cent of women shortly after giving birth, to postpartum psychosis, which requires urgent attention and often hospitalization.
American rates of depression among pregnant and postpartum women have been estimated to range from 5% to 25% — and for major depression in the first year after the birth the rate of depression ranges from 1% to 6.8%.
This means that more than 400,000 infants are born annually to depressed mothers, resulting in “increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction,” states the report in the November issue of Pediatrics.
Of critical importance, is the interference maternal depression can have on mother-child attachment and bonding.
One potential screening strategy is to arrange for a prenatal visit, so the pediatrician can meet the parents, identify warning signs and risk factors for depression, and plan for necessary services—well in advance of the birth.
For minor depression, it is most important to ‘demystify’ the diagnose by helping the mother understand she is not alone, her symptoms are shared by many women, that it’s not her fault since hormonal factors play a large role, and that she will improve.