Get Perinatal Depression Screening: - Mail Ny Acog

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder that affects approximately 10–15% of adult mothers yearly with depressive symptoms lasting more than 6 months among 25–50% of those affected [1]. Postpartum depression often occurs within a few months to a year after birth.

To screen for depression, the AAP recommends using either the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) or a two-question screen. The EPDS is a 10-question screen, completed by the mother, which has been extensively validated. The AAP recommends using a cutoff score >10 to indicate a positive screen.

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), postpartum depression is considered when a patient has a major depressive episode along with the peripartum onset, and it is not mentioned as a separate disease.

The guidelines are targeted for youth ages 10 to 21, and distinguish the differences between mild, moderate and severe forms of Major Depressive Disorder. The guidelines for the first time also endorse a universal adolescent depression screening for children age 12 and over, which already is recommended by the AAP.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression (PPD) at the infant's 1, 2, 4, and 6-month well child (WC) visits. Despite these recommendations, less than 50% of mothers are screened nationally.

"In moderate to severe untreated cases, postpartum anxiety can last indefinitely," Smith says. "Perinatal mood disorders don't always disappear on their own. In fact, in some cases, if left untreated, they can set people up for a lifelong bout with mental illness."