New Guidance for Preventing Peripartum Depression

The USPSTF recommends that pregnant and postpartum women be screened for excess risk for depression and referred for appropriate counseling.

Sponsoring Organization: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

Target Audience: Women's healthcare providers

Background

Peripartum depression affects up to one in seven new mothers in the U.S. Prior guidelines have recommended screening for depression during and after pregnancy (e.g., Pediatrics 2010; 126:1032, Obstet Gynecol 2015; 125:1268, JAMA 2016; 315:380), and such screening is now widely practiced; however, seamless referral for evaluation and treatment of screen-positive mothers remains a challenge. Now, in a shift toward a population-based public health strategy, the USPSTF has extended its recommendation from screening for a disease — depression — to screening for associated risk factors and implementing preventive measures.

Ke…

Reviewing Author

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

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