Postpartum Depression News and Research

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Eighty percent of women experience some level of the baby blues after giving birth, and symptoms usually clear up on their own. One in eight-to-ten women experiences postpartum depression. When symptoms don't go away in a few weeks, women should seek help through health care providers and licensed counselors. Treatment may include talk therapy, medication, support groups, or a combination of these.

Early life stress may underlie a pathophysiological exacerbation of postpartum depression

In a new study, a Johns Hopkins Medicine-led research team reports that social stress during adolescence in female mice later results in prolonged elevation of the hormone cortisol after they give birth.

16 Apr 2024

Low dose esketamine injection after childbirth reduces postpartum depression

A single low dose injection of esketamine given immediately after childbirth reduces major depressive episodes in individuals with depressive symptoms during pregnancy (prenatal depression), finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

12 Apr 2024

New natural supplement shows promise in preventing postpartum blues

A new study published in the Lancet discovery science journal eClinicalMedicine has confirmed that a novel natural supplement-;invented, researched, developed and commercialized at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)-;prevents postpartum blues, and reduces symptoms of postpartum depression over the following six months after giving birth.

10 Apr 2024

Researchers call for policy changes to address perinatal mental health disparities

A team of researchers is calling for comprehensive changes to U.S. health care and social policies to improve diagnosis and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions and mitigate the dramatic disparities that put women of color at significantly greater risks of morbidity and mortality compared with white women.

3 Apr 2024

Study reveals underdiagnosis and inequities in postpartum depression treatment

Pregnancy and childbirth can be significant stressors on mental health. Nearly one in eight people who have given birth develop postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1 Apr 2024

A new $16,000 postpartum depression drug is here. How will insurers handle it?

A much-awaited treatment for postpartum depression, zuranolone, hit the market in December, promising an accessible and fast-acting medication for a debilitating illness.

12 Mar 2024

Pregnant women with autoimmune conditions at a greater risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes, study suggests

Researchers analyzed systematic reviews conducted on the association between autoimmune diseases and pregnancy outcomes.

8 Mar 2024

Is there a higher risk of depression among specific populations of patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

Researchers assessed the risk of depression following the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

8 Mar 2024

Housing affordability for new mothers may help stave off postpartum depression

Becoming a parent comes with lots of bills. For new mothers, being able to afford the rent may help stave off postpartum depression.

7 Mar 2024

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps prevent postpartum mental health challenges in low-resource settings

Results from a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health show that an intervention for anxiety provided to pregnant women living in Pakistan significantly reduced the likelihood of the women developing moderate-to-severe anxiety, depression, or both six weeks after birth.

26 Feb 2024

Antidepressant use during pregnancy linked to child brain development risks

A new study published in Nature Communications provides direct evidence that antidepressant use during pregnancy can impact a child's brain development and contribute to the risk of mental health disorders later in life.

16 Feb 2024

Study advances search for a blood test to identify disease-associated changes in the brain

Researchers in a Johns Hopkins Children's Center-led study that used genetic material from human blood and lab-grown brain cells say they have made progress in developing a blood test to identify disease-associated changes in the brain specifically linked to postpartum depression and other psychiatric and neurological disorders.

8 Feb 2024

Women and minorities bear the brunt of medical misdiagnosis

Charity Watkins sensed something was deeply wrong when she experienced exhaustion after her daughter was born.

18 Jan 2024

Women with perinatal depression have an elevated mortality risk

Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports.

10 Jan 2024

New doula benefit ‘life-changing’ for California mom

When Mia Bloomer found out she was pregnant with her fourth child, she wanted a different birth experience. She wanted to feel empowered, informed, and heard — elements she found lacking during her earlier births.

19 Dec 2023

Novel antidepressant zuranolone effective in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms

The efficacy and safety of zuranolone in treating major depressive disorder (MDD).

20 Nov 2023

What is the course and stability of maternal depressive symptoms throughout the perinatal period?

Researchers examined maternal depressive symptoms in diverse observational cohorts.

31 Oct 2023

Study sheds light on genetic architecture of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression (PPD), a common subtype of major depressive disorder, is more heritable than other psychiatric conditions, yet the genetics of PPD are understudied compared to these other psychiatric conditions., such as anxiety and bipolar disorder.

19 Oct 2023

Emotional training for mothers may lead to better bonding with babies

Up to a third of mothers don't bond well with their babies after birth, causing intense emotional distress to both mother and baby.

9 Oct 2023

Dads should be screened for postpartum depression, study suggests

Dads can suffer from postpartum depression, and a new pilot study at the University of Illinois Chicago suggests they can and should be screened for the condition.

5 Oct 2023