A new study published by Venkatesh and colleagues showed universal screening for depression during pregnancy is both feasible and can lead to increased detection, subsequent intervention, and improved depressive symptom outcomes. Researched examined 8,985 women who were enrolled in prenatal care between July 2010 and June 2014. A total of 8,840 women (98%) completed antepartum Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening results and 7,780 women (86%) were screened after delivery. More than one third of women reported a history of a diagnosis of major depression and/or an anxiety disorder. The EPDS results showed 575 women screened positive (EPSD =12): 396 (69%) of those screened positive before delivery and 180 (31%) after delivery. The mean EPSD score for women who screened positive was 14.7. All of the women who screened positive were referred for an evaluation by a mental health professional and 455 (79%) women were linked to mental health services and evaluated. After an evaluation, 357 (62%) women who screened positive were diagnosed with major depression or an anxiety disorder. Results also showed that women were more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder before delivery (36%) than after delivery (19%). Among all of the women who enrolled in prenatal care, 5.4% of women were diagnosed with either major depression and/or an anxiety disorder: 4.0% before delivery and 1.4% after delivery. When excluding those women who reported a history of a diagnosis of major depression and/or an anxiety disorder, 283 women received a new diagnosis of major depression and/or an anxiety disorder.

>> Venkatesh KK et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016; DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.05.024.

A recent meta-analysis examined neonatal outcomes in women with untreated depression (i.e., receiving neither pharmacological nor nonpharmacological treatment) compared to women without depression. A review of 23 studies that consisted of 25,663 women revealed that untreated depression was associated with significantly increased risks of preterm birth (odds ratio [OR], 1.56;95% CI) and low birth weight (OR, 1.96; 95% CI). Since the effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment was not examined in this meta-analysis, further research is needed; however, the results are relevant given that only about one-third of women with depression consider taking antidepressants during pregnancy acceptable.

>> Jarde A et al. JAMA Psychiatry doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0934.