Why should I take the test?💡

Pregnancy is a time of joy and celebration. However, stress and depression are inevitable parts of the journey for some moms. In fact, about 7% of pregnant women are reported to experience depression during pregnancy.

Depression causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Healthcare providers and even you tend to pay more attention to physical health during pregnancy rather than mental health. Because some symptoms of depression are similar to those of pregnancy, they are often overlooked and not getting treated. 

How is the test done?💉

During screening, your healthcare provider will ask you questions from a standardized screening questionnaire. Your answers to these questions will be scored and your total score will be used to determine whether you need mental help. Alternatively, psychiatrists may ask you questions about your feelings, worries and interests recently.

TMI from Baby Billy👩‍⚕️:

Risk factors for depression

Some risk factors for depression include anxiety, life stress, unintended pregnancy, and intimate partner violence. Little support or history of depression can make you fall into depression again easily.

Signs and symptoms of depression

Other than symptoms that are similar to depression in the general population, additional clues are excessive worries about your baby, low self-esteem, inability to find pleasure in favorite hobbies. If you do not find yourself drawn to prenatal care and reassurance or you even have thoughts of suicide, you should definitely seek help.

Treatment for depression

Treatment for depression is extremely important! If you are sad all day long and you don't want to eat healthy foods that your baby needs, you can't have the energy to take care of yourself. Hence, you are at increased risk of postpartum depression and have difficulty bonding with the baby. 

Depending on your conditions, the doctor will prescribe you to help boost up your moods. You may be offered psychotherapy or antidepressants in addition to therapies.