title: Raising the awareness of primary care providers about postpartum depression.
abstract: About 13% of women experience depression in the first year after childbirth. Postpartum depression has deleterious effects on the woman's relationships, her functional status, and her ability to care for her infant. Primary care providers have the most contact with postpartum women, but may be unable or unwilling to screen, treat, and/or refer the women. Thus, many women with postpartum depression are not receiving mental health services. The purpose of this article is to describe methods to raise the awareness of primary care providers about postpartum depression, thereby eliminating a major barrier to mental health treatments of postpartum women.
authors.affiliation: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA. mclogs01@gwise.louisvillle.edu
authors.forename: M Cynthia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Logsdon
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wisner
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Billings
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shanahan
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D003479:Curriculum; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004496:Education, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012952:Societies / Q000458:organization & administration; D013782:Textbooks as Topic; D014481:United States