Stress and fetal development

High stress during fetal development could  cause premature aging, according to a study in chickens, which was published on November 9 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. For more information or to read the article please click on the link below.

Click Here for the article.

Understanding Male Postpartum Depression

Most people know that women can suffer from depression after child birth, but what about dad? A news article from the Daily Beast helps readers understand male postpartum depression. Click on the link below to read the article.

Click here for the article

Managing depression while pregnant

Click on the Article link below to read about how to manage depression during pregnancy.

 Article

In the News: PPD Screening

The American Academy of Pediatrics just published a report about encouraging the screening of new mothers and fathers for depression.

"Every year, more than 400 000 infants are born to mothers who are depressed, which makes perinatal depression the most underdiag- nosed obstetric complication in America. Postpartum depression leads to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development. Pediatric practices, as medical homes, can establish a system to implement postpartum depression screening and to identify and use community resources for the treatment and referral of the depressed mother and support for the mother-child (dyad) relationship. This system would have a positive effect on the health and well-being of the infant and family. State chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, working with state Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) and maternal and child health programs, can increase awareness of the need for perinatal depression screening in the obstetric and pedi- atric periodicity of care schedules and ensure payment. Pediatricians must advocate for workforce development for professionals who care for very young children and for promotion of evidence-based interven- tions focused on healthy attachment and parent-child relationships."

The report is available for free to download

New items added to Professional Library

New documents and links were added to the professional library. The new additions are summarize below.

Documents

• Algorithm for women and depression postpartum - a PDF showing a detailed algorithm for the treatment of women experiencing PPD.
• Chronic PPD in low income mothers - Medscape document discussing the correlation of chronic PPD with low income mothers.
• PPD Manual - BC Health - a manual published by British Columbia health outlining the prevention and care for PPD.

Links

• Depression During Pregnancy: Treatment Recommendations  - The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) attempts to help doctors and patients weigh the risks and benefits of various treatment options.
• Reducing Maternal Depression and Its Impact on Young Children  - This policy brief provides an overview of why it is so important to address maternal depression as a central part of the effort to ensure that all young children enter school ready to succeed
• Postpartum Depression in Women Receiving Public Assistance  - This study investigated whether a preventive intervention based on the principles of interpersonal psychotherapy administered to pregnant women would reduce the risk of postpartum major depression

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