Prenatal and postpartum depression diagnosis in a large health system: prevalence and disparities.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES/INTRODUCTION: Depression during pregnancy or postpartum carries the same risks as general depression as well as additional risks specific to pregnancy, infant health and maternal well-being. The purpose of this study is to document the prevalence of depression symptoms and diagnosis during pregnancy and in the first 3 months postpartum among a cohort of women receiving prenatal care in a large health system. Secondarily, we examine variability in screening results and diagnosis by race, ethnicity, language, economic status and other maternal characteristics during pregnancy and postpartum. PATIENTS/MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study with two cohorts of patients screened for depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Out of 7807 patients with at least three prenatal care visits and a delivery in 2016, 6725 were screened for depression (87%) at least once during pregnancy or postpartum. Another 259 were excluded because of missing race data. The final sample consisted of 6523 prenatal care patients who were screened for depression; 4914 were screened for depression in pregnancy, 4619 were screened postpartum (0-3 months). There were 3010 screened during both periods who are present in both the pregnancy and postpartum cohorts. Depression screening results are from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and diagnosis of depression was measured using ICD codes. For patients screened more than once during either time period, the highest score is used for analysis. RESULTS: Approximately, 11% of women had a positive depression screen as indicated by an elevated PHQ-9 score (>10) during pregnancy (11.3%) or postpartum (10.7%). Prevalence of depression diagnosis was similar in the two periods: 12.6% during pregnancy and 13.0% postpartum. A diagnosis of depression during pregnancy was most prevalent among women who were age 24 and younger (19.7%), single (20.5%), publicly insured (17.8%), multiracial (24.1%) or Native American (23.8%), and among women with a history of depression in the past year (58.9%). Among women with a positive depression screen, Black women were less than half as likely as White women to receive a diagnosis in adjusted models (AOR 0.40, CI: 0.23-0.71, p = .002). This difference was not present postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: Depression symptoms and diagnoses differ by maternal characteristics during pregnancy with some groups at substantially higher risk. Efforts to examine disparities in screening and diagnosis are needed to identify reasons for variability in prenatal depression diagnosis between Black and White women.Key messagesWomen who were young, single, have public insurance, and women who identify as multiracial or non-Hispanic (NH) Native American were most likely to have a positive depression screen or a diagnosis for depression.After adjustment for confounders, NH Black women with a positive depression screen were about half as likely to have a diagnosis of depression during pregnancy as NH White women.Awareness of the differing prevalence of depression risk screening results, diagnoses and potential for variation in diagnosis may identify opportunities to improve equity in the delivery of essential mental health care to all patients.

Perinatal depression screening practices in a large health system: identifying current state and assessing opportunities to provide more equitable care.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of prenatal and postpartum depression screening in a large health system and to identify covariates for screening, with a specific focus in understanding disparities in practice. A retrospective cohort of women with deliveries in 2016 was created using electronic health records. Primary outcomes were depression screening during pregnancy and the first 3 months postpartum. Generalized linear mixed models with women nested within clinic were used to determine the effect of maternal and clinical characteristics on depression screening. The sample included 7548 women who received prenatal care at 35 clinics and delivered at 10 hospitals. The postpartum sample included 7059 women who returned within 3 months for a postpartum visit. Of those, 65.1% were screened for depression during pregnancy, and 64.4% were screened postpartum. Clinic site was the strongest predictor of screening, accounting for 23-30% of the variability in screening prevalence. There were no disparities identified with regard to prenatal screening. However, several disparities were identified for postpartum screening. After adjusting for clinic, women who were African American, Asian, and otherwise non-white (Native American, multi-racial) were less likely to be screened postpartum than white women (AOR (CI)'s 0.81 (0.65, 1.01), 0.64 (0.53, 0.77), and 0.44 (0.21, 0.96), respectively). Women insured by Medicaid/Medicare, a proxy for low-income, were less likely to be screened postpartum than women who were privately insured (AOR (CI) 0.78 (0.68, 0.89)). National guidelines support universal depression screening of pregnant and postpartum women. The current study found opportunities for improvement in order to achieve universal screening and to deliver equitable care.

Perinatal anxiety: approach to diagnosis and management in the obstetric setting.

Anxiety is common in women during the perinatal period, manifests with various symptoms and severity, and is associated with significant maternal morbidity and adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Given the intimate relationship and frequency of contact, the obstetric provider is positioned optimally to create a therapeutic alliance and to treat perinatal anxiety. Time constraints, absence of randomized controlled trials, mixed quality of data, and concern for potential adverse reproductive outcomes all limit the clinician's ability to initiate informed risk-benefit discussions. Clear understanding of the role of the obstetric provider in the identification, stabilization, and initiation of medication and/or referral to psychotherapy for women with perinatal anxiety disorders is critical to maternal and neonatal wellbeing. Informed by our clinical practice as perinatal psychiatric providers, we have provided a concise summary of current research on the approach to the treatment of perinatal anxiety disorders in the obstetric setting that includes psychotherapy and supportive interventions, primary and adjuvant psychiatric medication, and general prescribing pearls. Medications that we examined include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, sedative-hypnotics, antihistamines, quetiapine, buspirone, propranolol, and melatonin. Further research into management of perinatal anxiety, particularly psychopharmacologic management, is warranted.

White Paper AGA: The Impact of Mental and Psychosocial Factors on the Care of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Patients with chronic medically complex disorders like inflammatory bowel diseases (BD) often have mental health and psychosocial comorbid conditions. There is growing recognition that factors other than disease pathophysiology impact patients' health and wellbeing. Provision of care that encompasses medical care plus psychosocial, environmental and behavioral interventions to improve health has been termed "whole person care" and may result in achieving highest health value. There now are multiple methods to survey patients and stratify their psychosocial, mental health and environmental risk. Such survey methods are applicable to all types of IBD programs including those at academic medical centers, independent health systems and those based within independent community practice. Once a practice determines that a patient has psychosocial needs, a variety of resources are available for referral or co-management as outlined in this paper. Included in this white paper are examples of psychosocial care that is integrated into IBD practices plus innovative methods that provide remote patient management.

Bipolar disorder in women.

This article summarizes research pertinent to the clinical care of women with bipolar disorder. With bipolar disorder, female gender correlates with more depressive symptoms and different comorbidities. There is a high risk of symptom recurrence postpartum and possibly during perimenopause. Women with bipolar disorder have increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Mood stabilizing medications, specific psychotherapies, and lifestyle changes can stabilize mood and improve functioning. Pharmacologic considerations include understanding interactions between mood stabilizing medications and contraceptive agents and risks and benefits of mood stabilizing medication during pregnancy and lactation.

Preventing postpartum depression.

Major depression is a frequent complication of the postpartum period. Untreated postpartum depression increases the risk of maternal suicide and can impair parenting capability with resultant adverse effects on offspring development. A number of factors influence a woman's vulnerability to postpartum depressive episodes. This article summarizes processes for assessing these risk factors and implementing primary preventive interventions, and summarizes methods of early detection to promote secondary and tertiary prevention.