Depression in pregnant women and new moms is preventable, experts say. Here's how

The number of women who suffer from depression during or after pregnancy is staggeringly high.

Perinatal depression affects as many as 1 in 7 women, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It's one of the most common complications of pregnancy and after childbirth.  

And it can be prevented, according to new research. 

A report published in JAMA by the U.S Preventive Services Task Force found that care such as mental-health screening and counseling effectively prevents perinatal depression. 

"We really need to find these women before they get depressed,” Karina Davidson, a task force member and senior vice president for research at Northwell Health told the New York Times.

What is perinatal depression? 

Perinatal depression refers to depressive disorders during pregnancy or the postpartum period. 

Symptoms include, according to the JAMA report:

• Loss of interest and energy.
• Depressed mood.
• Fluctuations in sleep or eating patterns.
• Reduced ability to think or concentrate.
• Feelings of worthlessness.
• Recurring thoughts of suicide.  

Depression is different than the common “baby blues.” While both refer to mood disturbances that can manifest as crying, irritability, fatigue and anxiety, depression lasts for more than two weeks while "baby blues" are usually gone within 10 days of delivery.

The mother's disease can also affect her child. It can result in premature birth and low birth weight. Children of mothers who had perinatal depression demonstrate more behavior problems, lower cognitive functioning and increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, the report said. 

How can perinatal depression be prevented?

The panel of clinicians and researchers looked at various methods for depression prevention. Among them:

• Physical activity.
• Antidepressants.
• Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Expressive writing.
• Infant sleep training.
• Counseling.
• Education. 
• Yoga.

Counseling was the clear winner, the panel found. It reduced the risk of depression by 39 percent.

In particular, the panel favored cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy addresses an individual's patterns of thought and behavior while interpersonal therapy focuses on a person's relationships and actions with others.  

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Health providers should refer at-risk women to counseling, the panel recommended

The good news?

Screening for depression is covered at no cost for moms under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

The bad news? 

Since there is no standard screening tool for medical professionals to check for perinatal depression, it is "more complex to perform a risk assessment" and accurately determine if a woman is at-risk, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Marlene P. Freeman wrote in an editorial accompanying the recommendations.

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