Prevalence and Trajectories of Perinatal Anxiety and Depression in a Large Urban Medical Center

What are the rates of screening, treatment, and prevalence of clinically meaningful perinatal depression and anxiety over time in a large urban medical center?Among 27 393 perinatal women, only 3.0% to 14.2% were screened for anxiety and depression, and in clinics with mandatory screening, 23.2% of women reported clinical depression symptoms and 8.8% reported suicidality. Women who received mental health services (17.1%) showed a more rapid depression reduction and sustained gains, compared with untreated women.These findings suggest that there is a need for routine mental health screening, monitoring, and timely interventions to improve risk detection and reduce perinatal depression and anxiety.

Corresponding Author: Nili Solomonov, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, New York, NY 10065 (nis2051@med.cornell.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.