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Depression During and After Pregnancy
Knowledge Path

Introduction

This knowledge path about depression during and after pregnancy has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources about the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression; identification and treatment; impact on the health and well-being of new mothers and their infants; and implications for service delivery. The knowledge path is aimed at health professionals, policymakers, program administrators, and researchers. A separate section presents resources for women experiencing perinatal depression and their families. This knowledge path will be updated periodically.

Related topics: Please see our knowledge path about preconception and pregnancy and the Community services locator: An online directory for finding community services for children and families.

Overview

See Depression during and after pregnancy: A resource for women, their families, and friends (2006). This booklet by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides information about perinatal depression and its causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and effects on families. A Spanish-language booklet (hard copy only) can be ordered online.

Resources for Professionals

Web Sites

Additional Electronic Publications

Databases

The databases listed below are excellent tools for identifying data, additional literature and research, and programs about depression during and after pregnancy. Many of the entries below contain tips on how to use the databases efficiently. Please note that databases vary in how terms should be entered; for example, some require quotation marks and others don't. Enter search phrases as shown in bold below.

Data
Literature and Research Databases
  • ClinicalTrials.gov. Provides access to information about clinical research studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions. Included are a summary of the purpose of the study, recruiting status, criteria for patient participation, location of the trial, and contact information. To identify studies on the topic, select Search for Clinical Trials. Enter the search phrase depression AND (pregnancy OR postpartum OR perinatal) and click on Search. ClinicalTrials.gov is a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Presents systematic reviews of health care interventions internationally. Provides access to article abstracts. To identify reviews on the topic, find the box, Search abstracts and summaries and enter the search phrase depression (pregnancy OR perinatal OR postpartum OR postnatal). Click on Search. Access to the full-text article requires a subscription. The database is published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international nonprofit organization based in the United Kingdom.

  • Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE). Contains summaries of systematic reviews that have met strict quality criteria. Included reviews have to be about the effects of interventions. Each summary also provides a critical commentary on the quality of the review. To identify reviews on the topic, type depression AND (pregnancy OR perinatal OR postpartum OR postnatal) in the search box. Click on search to get your results. DARE is produced and maintained by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York.

  • Drug Information Portal. Presents information about more than 12,000 drugs for health professionals, researchers, and consumers. Drug information records include a description of the drug and links to resources for additional information, such as the Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). LactMed is a database of drugs to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. Among the data included are maternal and infant levels of drugs, possible effects on breastfed infants and on lactation, and alternate drugs to consider. The Drug Information Portal is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

  • Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH), Georgetown University. Maintains several databases to collect, manage, and disseminate knowledge about MCH, with special emphasis on knowledge gained from initiatives and programs supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The library's bibliographic database is

    MCHLine®. Comprises an online catalog of materials in the Maternal and Child Health Library. To identify items on the topic, conduct two searches. Type "postpartum depression" in the keyword field of the database search form. Type the code as it is shown and click on Search to get your results. Conduct another search by typing pregnan depression in the keyword field. Type the code as it is shown, and click on Search to get your results. There will be overlap in the search results.

    The Maternal and Child Health Library also offers organizations and programs databases.

  • National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC). Contains evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related materials for health professionals. Identify guidelines on the topic by entering "postpartum depression" in the search box. Click on Search to get your results. NGC is an initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

  • PubMed. Contains more than 19 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and life science journals. Citations may include links to full-text articles from PubMed Central or publisher web sites. To identify citations on the topic, enter depression, postpartum OR (depression AND pregnancy) in the search box. Click on Limits and make the following selections on the page: select a date (e.g. Published in the last 2 years); click on Languages: English; and select Search Field Tags: MeSH Major Topic. Click on Search to get your results. PubMed is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

  • Also see the Perinatal Depression Information Network (PDIN).
Programs Databases

Electronic Newsletter

Resources for Women and Their Families

Depression During and After Pregnancy: Knowledge Path, 3rd ed. (February 2009). (Updated: July 2010).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., Maternal and Child Health Library.
Reviewers: Diana Cheng, M.D., Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., Maternal and Child Health Library.

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