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"PinterestFacebookA new government-appointed health panel has issued a landmark recommendation that all women should be screened for depression during and after pregnancy.\nThe recommendation, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, comes courtesy of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and is expected to ramp up efforts to detect maternal depression.\nAnd it&amp;#39;s welcome news for those who work with patients suffering from postpartum depression.\n&amp;quot;We are thrilled about this recommendation, primarily because it continues the national dialogue about it,&amp;quot; says Karen Kleiman, LCSW, director of the Postpartum Stress Center, and author of several books on postpartum depression, including This Isn&amp;#39;t What I Expected. &amp;quot;Maternal depression is considered a great public health concern now, and we want providers and moms alike to be aware that this is a potentially serious condition.&amp;quot;\nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 19 percent of women experience some symptoms of postpartum depression. But Kleiman says about 10 percent of moms actually experience clinical maternal depression, adding, &amp;quot;it&amp;#39;s a lot of women.&amp;quot;\nThe new recommendation lists risk factors for maternal depression, such as poor self-esteem, child-care stress, prenatal anxiety, life stress, decreased social support, single/unpartnered relationship status, history of depression, difficult infant temperament, previous postpartum depression, lower socioeconomic status, and unintended pregnancy.\nHowever, Kleiman says that every woman is at risk, even if they don&amp;#39;t think they are&amp;#8212;and the symptoms can start earlier than you think.\n&amp;quot;We are finding out more and more that many postpartum depressions have started in pregnancy,&amp;quot; she says. Women may feel bad or depressed while pregnant, which doctors traditionally have dismissed as hormones at play. &amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s not always true,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;We have to get better at identifying the difference between a normal hormonal response and clinical depression.&amp;quot;\nKleiman says there&amp;#39;s a connection between effective screening and effective treatment for depression, and more screening should help lower the odds that women will suffer in silence.\nHowever, she anticipates some obstacles. One is that providers don&amp;#39;t always know what to do once a woman has been flagged for postpartum depression. The other is that women themselves may not be completely honest about their struggle.\n&amp;quot;Moms are still terrified to talk about how they feel,&amp;quot; says Kleiman. &amp;quot;They&amp;#39;re worried that if they talk about how bad they feel, someone is going to take their baby away.&amp;quot;\nBut overall, Kleiman says there&amp;#39;s &amp;quot;no real downside&amp;quot; to screening. &amp;quot;We need to know which women are at risk so we can help them,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;They have been suffering for too long.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/story/do-you-need-a-depression-scree>