Government Panel Recommends Pregnant Women Get Screened For Depression
(CBS) -- A government panel is for the first time urging all pregnant women to be screened for mental illness.
It's supposed to be the happiest of times, but for many women, pregnancy can also bring depression. CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports, now there are new efforts to identify those women and get them help.
A government panel is recommending screening all women for depression during pregnancy and after giving birth. Until now, much of the focus has been on postpartum depression.
"About a third of those women have actually had depressive episodes that began during their pregnancy," said Dr. Shona Vas, director of clinical psychology at the University of Chicago. "Early intervention is the most important thing and the sooner you intervene and identify those at risk, the quicker they can get treatment."
Dr. Vas says some physical symptoms such as sleep and appetite disturbance, might be missed because they are expected during pregnancy.
Any doctor, including your OBGYN, is asked to screen for depression and refer women at risk for treatment. The thinking is a happy mom means a healthier baby.
Dr. Vas says symptoms to watch out for include, "uncontrollable crying, thoughts of wanting to harm yourself, or harm your baby, thoughts of guilt and feelings of hopelessness."
Expecting mom Shannon Harris says she was never screened with her first child.
"I absolutely think it is a good idea," she said. "I think being pregnant is overwhelming. I think you just have a lot things to think about. Your whole life is about to change so I totally think that people should be screened for that because you just never know."
