Perinatal depression: hiding in plain sight.
OBJECTIVE
To promote prompt identification and treatment ofperinatal depression and enhance preventive care for women at risk.


METHODS
Using MEDLINE and PubMed searches, we reviewed the recent research on the origins, course, and consequences of pregnancy-related depression.


RESULTS
Depressive disorders are more common in pregnancy and postpartum than widely assumed, and there is no predictable protective effect of pregnancy. Relapse rates are high, and the postpartum period represents a time of increased vulnerability to depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Early identification and treatment ofperinatal depression will minimize morbidity and mortality for the woman, the child, and the family.
Lusskin
Shari I
SI
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. shari.lusskin@med.nyu.edu
Pundiak
Tara M
TM
Habib
Sally M
SM
D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008403:Mass Screening; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012306:Risk