Dear Colleague,
Postpartum depression often goes undiagnosed, and some barriers to diagnosis and treatment may be due to cultural stigmas and negative perceptions of mental illness. Whether or not a woman seeks help and receives treatment for PPD is influenced by her own feelings and beliefs about childbirth and child rearing, which usually reflect the wider beliefs of her community. Health care professionals who treat women with PPD should take into account the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural context of each case in order to customize the best treatment for each patient.
New case interview featured on the Spanish version of the MedEdPPD Mother's & Other's site: Dr. Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo conducts an in-depth interview in Spanish with Katia Theile, a mother of three children, who developed a serious case of postpartum depression after the birth of her first baby. Katia talks about the symptoms of depression that she suffered for seven years and how, with the help of professionals, family, and her own will, she was successfully treated. Click here to view the interview.
Last month for Free CME on MedEdPPD
Healthcare providers can receive CME credit for viewing MedEdPPD's "Postpartum Depression in the Cultural Context: Provider and Patient Perspectives," presented by James K. Boehnlein, MD. Dr. Boehnlein describes ways in which clinicians can incorporate culturally-appropriate approaches to assess and treat women suffering from postpartum depression. The discussion focuses on cultural competence and the perinatal experience across cultures. Panelists include Carolyn Hughes, LSW, MSW, of the University of Pittsburgh; Laurence D. Kruckman, PhD, of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania; and Cheryl Squire Flint, of Healthy Start Inc. You can access this fascinating presentation here.
This accredited continuing educational activity has been made available through an independent educational grant provided by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and developed with the support of NIMH SBIR contract # HHSN278200554096C.
Medical
Updates
Prenatal depression predicts postpartum maternal attachment in low-income Latina mothers with infants.
Perry DF, Ettinger AK, Mendelson T, Le HN.
Infant Behav Dev. 2011 Mar 12.
Although maternal attachment is an important predictor of infant attachment security and other developmental outcomes, little is known about the formation of maternal attachment in the first few months of the infant's life, particularly among ethnic minority mothers.
How can we identify vulnerable mothers who do not reach the cut off 12 points in EPDS?
J Child Health Care. 2011 Mar;15 (1):39-49. Magnusson M, Lagerberg D, Sundelin C.
These results suggest that EPDS does not identify all vulnerable mothers. Complementary methods for detecting mothers at risk of stress and depression need to be developed.
First-time mothers: social support, maternal parental self-efficacy and postnatal depression.
Leahy-Warren P, McCarthy G, Corcoran P. J Clin Nurs. 2011 Mar 25.]
To examine the relationships between social support, maternal parental self-efficacy and postnatal depression in first-time mothers at 6 weeks post delivery. Conclusion.
Diagnosis, pathophysiology, and management of mood disorders in pregnant and postpartum women.
Yonkers KA, Vigod S, Ross LE. Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Apr;117(4):961-77.
Because obstetrician-gynecologists are often the first (and sometimes the only) point of contact for young women in the health care system, familiarity with the presentation and treatment of depressive illness in the perinatal period is imperative. The goal of this review is to synthesize essential information on depressive illness in the perinatal period with a focus on its most common and severe presentations, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
Development of a Brief Measure of Postpartum Distress.
Allison KC, Wenzel A, Kleiman K, Sarwer DB. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2011 Mar 17.]
Previous measures of postpartum distress have focused on depressed mood despite evidence that postpartum anxiety is just as prevalent. The purpose of this study was to develop a new, brief screening measure to identify postpartum distress, defined as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Conclusions: The 10-item PDM comprises general distress and obsessive-compulsive factors that were obtained from a wider pool of depressive and anxiety items. These data suggest that the PDM may be a helpful tool in identifying a broader range of postpartum distress, including obsessive-compulsive symptoms that were formerly neglected in clinical screening measures. More studies are needed to confirm its clinical utility.
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In
The
News
Brain-Imaging in Depressed Moms Shows Blunted Response to Crying Infant
nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
By Randy Dotinga
Armed with brain scans, researchers have discovered bawling babies trigger a far more muted response in the brains of depressed mothers than in mothers who aren't depressed.
Postpartum Depression Affects Dads Too
abcnews.go.com
March 14, 2011(ABC News) Depression in new mothers is well recognized -- but new dads get depressed, too, and it can negatively affect parenting, according to a large observational study.
Wade Bowen helps raise funds to fight postpartum depression
caller.com
Mar 28, 2011 (Corpus Christi Caller Times) CORPUS CHRISTI — While Texas country artist Wade Bowen and his wife, Shelby, have experienced the blessings that come with the birth of a child, they've also struggled through some of the sadness that follows.
Bouncing back from baby
vancouversun.com
Once upon a time, pregnant women were treated like delicate china dolls. They were expected to sit back, take it easy and not exercise too much because they might hurt themselves or the developing baby.
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Events
Calendar
ACOG's 59th Annual Clinical Meeting
When: APRIL 30 - MAY 4
Where: Washington, DC
Website: http://www.acog.org/acm
PSI Chat with an Expert for Men
When: Monday, April 4, 8pm Eastern Time, Facilitated by David Miller, MD, PhD
Participant Code 85452
Where: Telephone
Website: http://www.postpartum.net/Friends-and-Family/PSI-Chat-with-an-Expert.aspx
PSI Chat with an Expert for Women
When:Wednesday, April 6, 12 noon Eastern Time, Facilitated by Diana Barnes, PsyD, LMFT Participant Code 35489
Where: Telephone
Website: For more scheduled sessions in April, visit http://www.postpartum.net/Friends-and-Family/PSI-Chat-with-an-Expert.aspx
Perinatal Mood Disorders Training for Doulas and Childbirth Educators
When: MAY 5
Where: Postpartum Resource Center of New York
Email: doula4u@optonline.net
Med
Ed
Resources
Marcé Society
The principal aim of the society is to promote, facilitate and communicate about research into all aspects of the mental health of women, their infants, and their partners around the time of childbirth.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Web site provides information from the federal agency that conducts and supports research on mental illnesses.
Postpartum Support International
Postpartum Support International (PSI) is an international network which focuses on postpartum mental health and social support.
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