Not All Troubled New Moms Are Depressed
Many have stress and anxiety unconnected to depression, study finds
FRIDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Most doctors are well aware of the risk of postpartum depression in new mothers. But an Australian study suggests that post-delivery stress and anxiety can occur apart from depression -- and might not be picked up on standard tests.
The study included 325 first-time mothers, six weeks to six months postnatal, who were assessed for depression, anxiety and stress using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), a standard measurement.
Symptoms of depression were identified in 61 women. The researchers also found that 33 women (10 percent) had symptoms of stress and anxiety independent of depression. They noted that the women with stress and anxiety would not have been identified using the EPDS alone.
Putting an emphasis on depression as the only indicator for emotional distress in postnatal women means that new mothers with anxiety and stress may not receive treatment for those problems, the researchers said.
The researchers said it was important for doctors and other health workers to be on the lookout for signs of anxiety and stress in postnatal women, along with symptoms of depression.
The study appears in the online edition of BMC Psychiatry.
More information
The American Psychiatric Association has more about postpartum depression.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: BioMed Central, news release, March 23, 2006
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Women suffer from anxiety and stress after birth, not only depression
March 23, 2006
Women can suffer from postnatal anxiety or stress independently of postnatal depression. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry concludes that symptoms of anxiety and stress should be assessed in women in the early postnatal period. A scale that measures anxiety and stress independently of depression enabled researchers to detect 61 women who had symptoms of depression, and a further 33 women who had symptoms of anxiety and stress, without depression. There is growing awareness of postnatal depression, however, this study suggests that health practitioners should also be on the lookout for symptoms of anxiety and stress as signs of distress in postnatal women.
The study conducted by Renee Miller and Julie Pallant from Swinburne University of Technology and Lisa Negri from RMIT University, assessed the levels of depression, anxiety and stress in 325 first-time mothers who were 6 weeks to 6 months postnatal. Miller et al. analyzed the results of the widely used Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) along with an additional measure, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS). They found that 33 women (10%) had symptoms of anxiety and stress independent of depression. These women would not have been detected if they had been assessed for depression alone.
According to Miller et al., the focus on depression as the only indicator for emotional distress in postnatal women means that women who have symptoms of anxiety and stress are at risk of not receiving help. Miller et al. conclude that it is important for health practitioners to assess new mothers for broader signs of distress than that of depression alone.
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