USPSTF Issues Recommendations for Preventing Perinatal Depression
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a recommendation statement geared towards the prevention of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period.1
The agency says current evidence is “convincing” that counseling interventions including cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are effective in the prevention of depression among pregnant and postpartum women, and recommends that clinicians either provide interventions or refer patients with an increased risk of depression to such interventions.
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However, the USPSTF noted, existing evidence to assess the benefits and harms of other non-counseling interventions is currently “inadequate.”
As many as 1 in 7 women who have given birth experience postpartum depression, according to the American Psychological Association. Unlike the "baby blues" — which involve common but fleeting feelings of sadness, tiredness, anxiety, and loneliness after their baby's birth — postpartum depression can appear days or months after delivery and persist for weeks or months if left untreated.2
Identifying pregnant and postpartum women with increased risk for depression, connecting these women to evidence-based treatments, and assessing outcomes are key areas that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement these new recommendations, said Marlene P. Freeman, MD, associate director of the Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, in an accompanying editorial to the USPSFT's recommendation statement.3
“While there are challenges, optimism is warranted, as an increasing number of studies and programs are assessing the delivery of therapies using technology and social media, which hold the promise of delivering care to a diverse population of women,” Dr Freeman wrote.3
—Christina Vogt
References:
1. US Preventive Services Task Force. Interventions to prevent perinatal depression. JAMA. 2019;321(6):580-587. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.0007.
2. Postpartum depression. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pi/women/resources/reports/postpartum-depression. Accessed on February 12, 2019.
3. Freeman MP. Perinatal depression recommendations for prevention and the challenges of implementation. JAMA. 2019;321(6). doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21247.