Pharmacy Daily | Postnatal depression in Oz

ONE in five mothers of children aged 0-24 months suffer from depression, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The research looked at 29,000 mothers or carers of children aged 0 – 24 months and found that more than half of mothers with diagnosed depression suffered from perinatal depression (depression that is diagnosed from pregnancy until the child’s first birthday). According to the report, this represents an estimated 111,000 mothers being diagnosed with depression, and of these 56,000 with perinatal depression. In addition, of all the cases of diagnosed depression, just over one in five were diagnosed for the first time during the perinatal period of the infant selected for the survey. The report also found that eight in 10 women suffering from postnatal depression received treatment, whilst the majority of mothers suffering from perinatal depression sought treatment from their general practitioner and support from family and friends. Developed in consultation with BeyondBlue and a range of experts, the survey revealed that perinatal depression was higher among mothers who were aged under 25, unemployed, smokers, from low income households, from more disadvantaged areas, and born in Australia in English speaking households. Responding to the report the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said “One of the key challenges for tackling perinatal depression as a government is the lack of consistent data across the States and Territories”. “Data collected in this survey will provide important baseline information on screening and treatment as well as better targeting of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative,” he added.

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