An Easy Check for Postpartum Depression
Experts say 3 simple questions can help identify women at risk

(HealthDay News) -- Although postpartum depression is common, the condition is often missed by friends and family, and even by some women's health-care providers.

But researchers suggest that three simple questions can help identify women who are depressed after the birth of a child. And the simplified screening tool might be even better than a conventional screening questionnaire, they say.

The findings were first published in Pediatrics.

"Postpartum depression is under-diagnosed," Dr. Adam Aponte, a pediatrician at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, told HealthDay. "The last thing you want is a depressed mom. It's important to screen."

In his own practice, Aponte said, he's found "the fewer the questions, the better" because that "opens the door for dialogue about how the mom is doing."

Postpartum depression is the most common serious problem that new mothers are faced with, the researchers reported in their study. However, screening for the condition isn't routine, possibly because of time constraints, they said.

Most new mothers experience a mild form of depression called the baby blues that lasts just a few days, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. During the baby blues period, it says, a woman might cry for no apparent reason, have trouble sleeping and have difficulty making decisions, and will probably question whether she is competent to care for the child.

If this behavior doesn't wane after a week or so, or if the behavior worsens, the woman could have postpartum depression. An estimated one in 10 women experience postpartum depression.

With this condition, sadness, doubt, guilt and helplessness get worse week-by-week.

For the study, about 200 new mothers, all 26 years old or younger, filled out the standard postpartum evaluation screening, called the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. They did this each time they attended a well-child visit during the first six months after the birth of their child.

The researchers also had the women fill out a shorter version of the screening test, which included three statements:

• I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong.
• I have felt scared or panicky for not very good reason.
• I have been anxious or worried for not very good reason.

"We chose these three questions because other studies have suggested that postpartum depression has a large anxiety component, and those three questions are related specifically to anxiety," Jeanelle Sheeder, a senior instructor in pediatrics at the University of Colorado and a co-author of the study, told HealthDay. "That subscale would probably be reasonable in other populations as well because a lot of postpartum depression in general is related to that feeling of not knowing what to do and being scared or panicky."

Aponte noted that "the beauty of three questions is it helps us hone in on what the patient is going through so we can investigate further."

On the Web

To learn more about postpartum depression, check out information from Mental Health America.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Jeanelle Sheeder, MSPH, senior instructor, pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver; Adam Aponte, M.D., pediatrician and assistant clinical professor, pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City; September 2008, Pediatrics; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (www.acog.org)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2009
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