postpartum depression

New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force call for doctors to identify patients at risk of depression during pregnancy or after childbirth and refer them to counseling.

To Prevent Pregnancy-Related Depression, At-Risk Women Advised To Get Counseling

Patti Neighmond

An influential expert panel recommends pregnant women at risk of depression get referred to counseling to prevent the illness. But for many women and their doctors, it may be easier said than done.

Wendy Root Askew with her husband Dominick Askew and their son. When the little boy (now 6) was born, Root Askew struggled with postpartum depression. She likes California's bill, she says, because it goes beyond mandatory screening; it would also require insurers to establish programs to help women get treatment.

NPR Health

Lawmakers Weigh Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Screening For Postpartum Depression

April Dembosky

California's legislature will soon take up a bill requiring doctors to screen new mothers. Many doctors oppose the idea, and similar laws elsewhere haven't increased the number of moms treated.

Jessica Porten went to a doctor's appointment with her daughter, Kira, to get help with postpartum depression. She soon found herself in the company of police who escorted her to a hospital's emergency department.

NPR Health

Nurse Calls Cops After Woman Seeks Help For Postpartum Depression. Right Call?

April Dembosky

A package of mental health bills in California aims to make it easier for new moms to get help and to build awareness among more health workers of postpartum mood disorders.

Health News Florida

Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week Underlines Pregnancy-Associated Disorders

Sascha Cordner

This week is Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week. Officials want to make people more aware of one of the top health complications surrounding...

A <em>JAMA Psychiatry</em> study found that 1 in 7 mothers are affected by postpartum depression.

Consumer

Postpartum Depression Affects 1 In 7 Mothers

Patti Neighmond

Researchers aren't sure exactly why certain women are more vulnerable to postpartum depression. But authors of a new study are recommending that all pregnant women and new mothers be screened for depression.