CHICAGO — An influential medical group says pediatricians should routinely screen new mothers for depression.
Depression isn’t just bad for moms; it can also harm their babies.
That’s according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics report published today in the journal Pediatrics. It cites research showing developmental and social delays in babies with depressed mothers.
The academy says that every year, more than 400,000 babies are born to depressed women. It has been estimated that between 5 percent and 25 percent of mothers develop postpartum depression.
The pediatrics academy says severely depressed women should be referred to experts for treatment.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists earlier this year recommended similar screening.
