Elevating Patient Care: Early Detection and Evidence-based Pharmacotherapy for Postpartum Depression in Primary Care

Postpartum depression, or depression in women within 12 months of giving birth, is common. It affects one-quarter of these women, which is why current recommendations are to begin screening for depression during pregnancy. Left un- and under-treated, the mother, newborn, and family are at risk for relationship problems, psychiatric illness, and other consequences. In this 1-hour, case-based activity, developed by family medicine and mental health clinicians, team-based screening recommendations, along with strategies for overcoming barriers in diagnosis, are applied to primary care practice. The risks and benefits of treatment, including nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic options, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and neuroactive steroid gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor positive modulators, are discussed, to enable the development of a personalized care plan using a collaborative care model.