“When considering the question ‘Is it baby blues or perinatal depression?’ during the perinatal period, it is important to understand the distinctions between the two. Perinatal depression, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition, refers to a major depressive episode with onset during pregnancy or within 4 weeks after delivery. Detecting perinatal depression can be challenging due to symptoms that overlap with normal pregnancy and motherhood experiences, such as fatigue, changes in appetite and sleep patterns. This can result in a large number of women with perinatal depression going untreated.
Recent guidelines emphasize the importance of screening for perinatal depression, placing the responsibility on healthcare professionals. However, research has found discrepancies between guideline recommendations and actual clinical practice, highlighting the need for further investigation into the implementation of guidelines.
A recent review by Yang et al. (2024) evaluated existing recommendations for perinatal depression screening and identified variations in guidelines across different countries. Despite guidelines recommending routine screening and referrals, the review found that these practices were not widely adopted in clinical settings.
Strengths of the review include its adherence to best practices in methodology, such as pre-registration and following PRISMA guidelines. However, limitations include the lack of details on the included studies and potential publication bias.
Moving forward, the review suggests a need to develop the evidence base for the clinical effectiveness of screening for perinatal depression. While there are challenges in implementing routine screening, evidence supports the importance of screening in improving access to mental health services for women during the perinatal period.”
