Doctors Just Don’t Ask About PPD

In recent months there have been huge efforts to inform women and their partners about the existence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) and Post Natal Depression (PND). There’s just one problem. Many doctors aren’t including important questions to diagnose PPD when they examine new mothers says a new study.

According to a study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the majority of doctors in the US state of North Carolina do not specifically look to identify signs of postpartum depression in new mothers.

228 physicians responded to the survey. All of them said they had seen women for postpartum check ups in the previous three months. 79 percent of them said they were unlikely to formally screen patients for depression even though 13 per cent of new mothers are thought to suffer from PPD.The usual symptoms of PPD are extreme fatigue, loss of pleasure in daily life, sleeplessness, sadness, tearfulness, anxiety, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, irritability, appetite change and poor concentration.
“We believe that it is very important that physicians work some type of depression screening into postpartum visits,” said Betsy Sleath, lead author of the study and a professor in UNC’s School of Pharmacy.

“And perhaps even more important, women shouldn’t be afraid or embarrassed to raise this issue with their doctor. We’re expected by society to be happy when we have a child so sometimes it’s hard to talk about the fact that women feel sad, or that it’s hard being a new mother,” said Professor Sleath.

“Depression during the perinatal period can have devastating consequences, not only for the women experiencing it but also for the women’s children and family,” said Dr. Bradley Gaynes, a psychiatrist who worked on the study.

Dr. Gaynes said that checking for PPD doesn’t require a formal screening tool. Instead, doctors should just ask the following questions:
* Has your interest in your usual activities changed?
* Do you feel depressed or hopeless?

While the study looked only at doctors in North Carolina, the results would probably be repeated in examining rooms elsewhere. I think the study is another sign that both women, their partners and community resource people need to be firm about demanding attention from doctors for PPD symptoms.

The study was published today in the North Carolina Medical Journal.

Have you ever been asked the two defining questions at a post natal appointment?