Depression Screening is Finally Being Recommended for Pregnant Women

On Jan. 26, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its final recommendation statement(www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org) on screening adults for depression in a primary care setting, including pregnant and postpartum women.

In another editorial, Dr. Helen S. Mayberg, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and radiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, said that neurologists should play a larger role in diagnosing and treating patients with depression – particularly patients with depression who may be reluctant about receiving psychiatric treatment.

For the first time, the US Preventive Services Task Force has advised physicians to assess all adults for depression and treat the ones affected by the mood disorder with antidepressant medication and refer them to psychopath. “It is therefore important to ensure that efficient methods for population screening are in place and directly linked to health care systems so depressed patients receive appropriate treatment”.

“Through the years, the Family Health hotline has connected more than 13,000 pregnant women and their families with timely access to information and treatment”, said Arturo Brito, a pediatrician and deputy health commissioner who endorsed the task force’s recommendation.

Some studies have shown that the use of SSRIs, a class of depression medication, can lead to a small risk of increased problems with pregnancy, such as miscarriage and preterm birth, NPR noted. Pregnant women and new mothers who experience distressing thoughts may feel guilty, but NIMH said that postpartum depression caused by hormonal changes and sleep deprivation are out of a woman’s control.

The task force “does not consider the costs of providing a service in this assessment”, according to the recommendation published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Health care providers aren’t obligated to follow the task force’s advice.

The transition to motherhood is always challenging, but it can come with crippling emotional consequences for some; new guidelines aim to alleviate the burden. “A place for women to go is really a problem”, she said.

Pignone said the potential harms from depression screening are minimal.

Depression is also the most common mental disorder in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

“A decade ago, there was more concern that screening pregnant and postpartum women for mental health would do more harm than good”, said Wendy N. Davis, the executive director of Postpartum Support International.

Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a statement said depression that occurs during pregnancy or in the first year after the birth of a child is one of the most common pregnancy complications.

HealthInsight, a local non-profit working under contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, already has more than 75 New Mexico primary care clinics on board to try to identify and treat depression. The task force also found adequate evidence that treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improves clinical outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women with depression. In the past, there wasn’t strong enough evidence to weigh in on whether depression screening helps or hurts these groups.

The task force also recommends a seven-question test as an alternative for screening the general population.

“She kept her symptoms such a secret, and then it turned into postpartum psychosis”, said Gibbs.

The earlier screening will create more awareness of symptoms in addition to aiding women in need, experts said.