Publication:

Preventing postpartum depression through pre-delivery screening and targeted interventions

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent and disabling complication of childbirth with significant consequences for both maternal and infant well-being. Despite its complex etiology involving hormonal, genetic, immune, and psychosocial factors, increasing evidence supports that PPD is highly preventable through early risk identification and targeted antenatal interventions. This review synthesizes current evidence on pre-delivery screening methods and preventive strategies. The Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS), patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) are still the main tools for screening, but new biological and epigenetic markers, such as inflammatory cytokines and gene methylation profiles, show promise as useful additional tools. Recent advances in machine-learning algorithms have further enhanced risk prediction by integrating psychosocial, clinical, and biological variables with high discriminative accuracy. Preventive interventions, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and peer-support programs, demonstrate consistent efficacy in reducing depressive symptom onset when delivered during pregnancy and postpartum. This review aims to explore the underlying pathogenesis and contributing risk factors for PPD. It also seeks to address pre-delivery screening approaches and preventive measures, with the goal of reducing the risk of developing PPD.