The numbers of pregnancy-related depression cases are quite high with one out of 10 women suffering from depression during and after pregnancy. A recent finding, linking eating disorders with pregnancy-related depression may influence doctors to screen pregnant women on this basis.
The researchers conducted the study with 158 women comprising of pregnant ladies as well as new mothers. They were undergoing depression treatment at the Perinatal Psychiatry Clinic of the UNC. A history of eating disorders was found among one third of the study subjects. Additionally, there were cases of physical and sexual abuse in many subjects.
The results indicate that these psychiatric factors are responsible for causing depression during and after pregnancy. According to Samantha Meltzer-Brody, the lead author of the study, doctors should include questions on eating disorders and abuse in the mental health questionnaire during the routine prenatal care procedure.
The lead author explained that the mental disorders of the mothers can easily get transmitted into their children. Children of mothers with eating disorders can adopt the same habit later and the children of mothers with depression issue may develop mental health problems.
Pregnancy is one of the most sensitive areas of a woman's life. Weight, body shape and lifestyle changes may cause depression in women during pregnancy and after childbirth. But this is the best time for any sort of intervention since a woman starts bothering about her child's well-being at this stage. This study may urge doctors to conduct mental health screenings to control depression in women and to prevent its transference to her baby.
