Jeremy Olson writes about children and families, and is an overscheduled father of two. His blog tackles the best and worst of parenting, families, health and love. He wants to hear from you - what's going on in your house?

Study: postpartum depression afflicts one in 10 new moms

Posted by: Jeremy Olson Updated: May 2, 2011 - 6:37 PM

0
comments
print

Tweet
share

email
Email share

your name

your email

recipients email

+ add a comment add a comment

The cost and count of women suffering depression during and after pregnancy is high in Minnesota, according to a new report from the Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota. As many as one in 10 new mommies suffer this condition, which features a prolonged period of depression during pregnancy and weeks to months after birth. For each unaddressed case, the costs are $23,000 per year (including health care complications to the mother and baby, reduced productivity and other costs), according to CDF's estimates.

Note: this is more than the so-called baby blues, short-term periods of sadness that affect as many as 80 percent of women during or briefly after pregnancies. Maternal depression lasts longer and has a detrimental impact on everyday life.

Beyond the suffering of these women, the report highlights the often overlooked impact this maternal disorder can have on the health and development of children. CDF's Marcie Jefferys said children from depressed mothers can suffer delayed intellectual development and lack of adequate nourishment and stimulation. There can also be a physical component, as pregnant women can pass along stress hormones to their babies, she said.

"That makes the babies themselves more vulnerable and more edgy," Jefferys said. "And they have a harder time relating to other people as a result. Then it’s a double whammy because the mother's stressed and the baby's stressed. It makes the relationships more difficult."

Jefferys said doctors need to use a standard, reliable screening instrument to determine whether pregnant women have signs of depression.

It's surprising "despite all the awareness about the importance of screening and about standard tools that it's still not happening early on as much as you would think ... A lot of doctors are still thinking apparently that they can eyeball a mom and diagnose whether she is depressed or not," she said.

"Some women are probably told, 'don’t worry about it. It's just the blues. At month four, it clearly isn’t the blues at that point."