Increasing Diagnosis and Treatment of Perinatal Depression in Latina and African American Women: Addressing Stigma Is Not Enough

Perinatal depression (PND), a major depressive episode during pregnancy and the first postpartum year (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Gavin et  al., 2005), is estimated to occur in 12% to 19% of the general U.S. population (Gavin et al., 2005; O'Hara& McCabe, 2013). However, rates of PND are substantially higher among immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas living in the United States at 11% to 50% (Kuo et  al., 2004; Lara, Le, Letechipia,& Hochhausen, 2009). Latinas are an important group because of their high fertility rates (Passel, Livingston,& D'Vera, 2013) and high psychosocial risk factors, such as high rates of poverty (Lara-Cinisomo, Girdler, Grewen,& Meltzer-Brody, 2016).

Source: Womens Health Issues - February 19, 2018 Category: Primary Care Authors: Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Crystal T. Clark, Jayme Wood Tags: Commentary Source Type: research