Perinatal Depression

The American Heart Association issued a scientific statement highlighting the significance of mental health in maternal CV health and provided considerations for pharmacological and behavioral intervention.

Depressive symptoms during pregnancy may indicate elevated cardiovascular risk for women, especially hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart failure, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.

Women struggling with their mental health during and after pregnancy often hesitate to ask for support, an issue compounded by a need for more resources and provider education on the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression.

Patients with autoimmune disease demonstrate a 30% higher risk for perinatal depression, while those with perinatal depression have a 30% higher risk for subsequent autoimmune disease, according to data published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Women with clinically diagnosed perinatal depression have an increased risk for suicidal behavior, especially within the first year after diagnosis, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.

Current perinatal depression recommendations aim to help with early screening, diagnosis and treatment and to prevent maternal mortality.

SAN FRANCISCO — Participation in a therapeutic mother-baby program resulted in significant symptom reduction of perinatal psychiatric conditions, Nicole Tarui, MD, told Healio at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Loneliness frequently plays an important mental health role for women who experience perinatal depression, according to a meta-synthesis published in BMC Psychiatry.

Though popular dietary interventions that include polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, and elemental metals do not seem to alleviate perinatal depression, vitamin D may be promising in this regard, according to researchers.

In this week’s edition, childhood sexual and emotional abuse increases the risk for multiple sclerosis in women; fentanyl-related cardiac arrest is linked to worse neurological outcomes; Black patients with MS have a higher rate of disability compared with their white counterparts; and more.