Dear Colleague,
This month’s issue of the journal Psychiatric Services (Psychiatr Serv 60:285, March 2009) includes several studies of PPD in urban, low income, culturally diverse women. In one study, women who received “culturally relevant, enhanced brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B)” showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms 6 months postpartum compared with women who received usual care. Another study looked at children of largely Hispanic and African American mothers with diagnosed major depressive disorder. These children were observed to have more emotional and behavioral problems than children of unaffected mothers. These studies and others show that the ethnic, social, and economic diversity of women who suffer from PPD requires tailored approaches to screening and treatment in order to adequately help all women and their families.
James K. Boehnlein, MD, addressed the issue of cultural sensitivity in PPD screening and management in a past MedEdPPD presentation, “Postpartum Depression in the Cultural Context.” To view Dr. Boehnlein’s presentation click here.
Medical
Updates
Using the internet to screen for postpartum depression.
Le HN, Perry DF, Sheng X.
Matern Child Health J. 2009 Mar;13(2):213-21. Epub 2008 Feb 16.
This study tested the feasibility of Internet-administered screening for PPD.
Modifiable factors associated with changes in postpartum depressive symptoms.
Howell EA, Mora PA, Dibonaventura MD, Leventhal H.
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2009 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]
The aim of this study was to identify modifiable factors (situational triggers and buffers) associated with postpartum depressive symptoms in order to assist providers in predicting and preventing PPD in their patients.
Psychotic Illness in First-Time Mothers with No Previous Psychiatric Hospitalizations: A Population-Based Study.
Valdimarsdóttir U, Hultman CM, Harlow B, Cnattingius S, Sparén P.
PLoS Med. 2009 Feb 10;6(2):e13.
A Scandinavian study found an increased risk for psychosis in the first month after childbirth among first-time mothers. Half of the affected women had never before been hospitalized for mental illness
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In
The
News
The new parent's dirty little secret
Globe and Mail.com, February 24, 2009
Sleeplessness (for both baby and parents) is known to contribute to postpartum depression. For some moms, following one's instinct about how to help everyone get some sleep means having to break the rules.
Diabetic mothers at higher depression risk
Boston Globe.com, February 25, 2009
A Harvard study found that, compared with women without diabetes, women with diabetes were almost twice as likely to be depressed during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth.
Blood Test May Predict Postpartum Depression
U.S. News and World Report, February 2, 2009
A new study suggests that doctors can predict who will get PPD by measuring the levels of a certain hormone in pregnant women's blood.
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Events
Calendar
Maternal and Mental Health During and After Pregnancy: Symposium on Clinical and Public Health Approaches
When: March 5
Where: Salem, OR
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care
When: March 12-13
Where: Indianapolis, IN
Perinatal Mood Disorder Conference
When: March 26-27
Where: Plymouth, MI
Med
Ed
Resources
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
Professional association for nurses who specialize in the care of women and newborns.
Postpartum Support International: Chat With an Expert
Every Wednesday (for women) and Monday (for men), up to 15 callers can chat with an expert facilitator and one another about coping, or helping a loved one cope, with PPD.
Postpartum Healing
This site serves to share personal experience in dealing with Perinatal Mood Disorders as well as providing research and information related to pregnancy and the postpartum period.
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