5 Australia and New Zealand have national recommendations stating that all perinatal providers have the responsibility to be aware of the risks for perinatal depression and to identify and refer for selleck chemical treatment as indicated.6 In Norway, the government has endorsed an initiative to address mental health issues for women during pregnancy and

after childbirth.7 In the US, further evidence of support for perinatal depression was the 2010 passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, one component of the 2010 US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical The MOTHERS act established a comprehensive federal commitment to combat postpartum depression through research, education, and voluntary

support service programs. However, although Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical considerable progress has been made in terms of increasing public awareness, there remain many critically important unanswered questions and gaps in our understanding about perinatal depression. For example, there is still much to be learned about the underlying pathogenesis, the long-term impact of perinatal depression Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical on the developing fetus, and how best to counsel pregnant women about the risks of untreated MDD versus the risks of psychopharmacologic treatment during pregnancy and lactation. This review will discuss these important issues and describe currently recommended Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical treatment options based on the available literature. Epidemiology of perinatal depression Many good quality studies have documented that perinatal depression is both common and morbid. 1,2,8-10 Estimates of prevalence are about 12% in the general population, but higher in individuals from certain groups including those with a prior history of MDD and in those with a history of PPD.2,10 In addition, an increased prevalence has also been noted in low-income women, which disproportionately Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical affects ethnic minorities, particularly

African-American and Hispanic women in the US.11,12 Moreover, the perinatal period has been documented already to be a time of high risk for psychiatric hospitalization, particularly in women with bipolar affective disorder and those with past histories of MDD.13 Most importantly, the risk for maternal suicide is significantly elevated among depressed perinatal women, and maternal suicides account for up to 20% of all postpartum deaths, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the perinatal period.14 Perinatal depression can have devastating consequences for the affected woman, her children, and family,15-18 and has been linked to poor childbirth outcomes such as preterm delivery and low birth weight19,20 and to detrimental effects on maternal sensitivity in the postpartum period.