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Depression Symptoms: Pediatrician’s Office Perfect Place To Screen New Moms For Postpartum Depression

Depression symptoms in new moms are hard to screen for because, many times, new moms generally don’t want to seek help. Whether it’s because of the possibility of embarrassment, because th...
Depression Symptoms: Pediatrician’s Office Perfect Place To Screen New Moms For Postpartum Depression
Written by Lacy Langley
  • Depression symptoms in new moms are hard to screen for because, many times, new moms generally don’t want to seek help.

    Whether it’s because of the possibility of embarrassment, because they don’t want people to think they can’t handle life as a mom or for a number of any other reasons, depressions symptoms in new moms go under-reported.

    A new study found that between 2004 and 2013, the number of pediatricians who asked new moms about depression symptoms increased from 33 percent to 44 percent.

    Study co-author Dr. Ruth Stein, who is an attending physician at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City, said in a hospital news release, “Maternal depression is often overlooked and untreated because women with mental health issues do not routinely access health care for themselves.”

    She added, “The pediatrician’s office is a frequently visited venue for mothers, offering invaluable opportunities for pediatricians to identify the condition and connect moms with services that can help families thrive.”

    The rise in depression symptom queries shows a positive change in the way postpartum depression is perceived, but that number is still too low.

    Postpartum depression symptoms affect around 40 percent of new mothers, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

    Recently, actress Hayden Panettierre revealed on Live with Kelly and Michael in September that she had postpartum depression symptoms after she gave birth to her daughter, Kaya in December of 2014. She entered a treatment facility a few weeks later.

    After the whole thing was over, Panettierre was so glad that she had admitted she was having postpartum depression symptoms.

    She said, “I was always so terrified that people weren’t going to accept me. I finally just went, ‘I’m tired of living afraid. I’m tired of living in fear of what people are going to think, so, you know, I’m just going to put it all out there on the table.'”

    She added, “The more open I was, the more acceptance I got from people. I got so much support and so much love. I was floored. I feel much more exposed, yes, but in a great way.”

    Have you had experience with postpartum depression symptoms?

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