A recent study published in this month’s issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry found that one in seven women suffered from depression before, during, or after pregnancy. The outcomes of depression can be harmful for the mother, baby, and her family, said lead author, Patricia Dietz, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dietz and her team examined data on women who gave birth between 1988 and 2001 and found that 8.7 percent of the women felt depressed nine months prior to pregnancy, 6.9 percent during pregnancy, and 10.4 percent nine months following pregnancy. These findings stress how important it is for those providing prenatal care to become aware of the consequences of depression and screen for it during and after pregnancy, said Dietz.

Source: Forbes.com