Treatment guidelines for depression in pregnancy

Depression is a ubiquitous disorder in childbearing women with up to 10% of women experiencing depression in pregnancy. Postpartum depression occurs i n 12-16% of pregnancies making it a common complication. Moreover, these il lnesses are frequently underdiagnosed in obstetric settings, and a recent r eport of the Surgeon General's Office confirms that many women do not acces s services, or receive treatment of inadequate intensity or duration. This paper provides current treatment guidelines to aid in appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression in pregnancy and postpartum. Review of current literature on psychotropic medication use in pregnancy is also provided. ( C) 2001 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. All rights r eserved.