Some perinatal mood and anxiety disorder research in the news this week …

A study from the University of Michigan was published on the impact of depression during pregnancy (antenatal depression) on infants. The study finds differences between infants whose mothers were depressed during pregnancy and those whose mothers were not, having to do with things like muscle tone and levels of stress hormones. You can read about them by following the link, but DON'T freak out though: "While cautioning against alarm, the researchers recommended that mothers experiencing symptoms of depression during pregnancy talk to a therapist. They also noted that interventions aimed and mother-child bonding after birth can act as countermeasures, stimulating children’s neurological development and lowering the possible effects of stress hormone production early in life." The key takeaway for me is that you shouldn't ignore depression when pregnant. Reach out for help.

Also, an interesting little study from BioMedCentral Public Health which covers, among other things, how the conduct of the nurse offering PPD screenings has an impact on the women being screened. I like the comment that the EPDS should be more like a "springboard for conversation" than an inquisition. The comments from the women in the study are fascinating.

… and in this roundup, I'm also throwing in a nice piece from Psychology Today on the difference between postpartum depression and postpartum PTSD (even though it's not research)…

… and a story from KevinMD on how antidepressants can sometimes hurt patients, which goes to show how important follow up is.