Anxiety May Be More Common After Childbirth Than Depression.

HealthDay (3/5, Salamon) reports, “Anxiety is far more common in the days after childbirth than depression, with nearly one in five new mothers reporting acute mental stress surrounding delivery and the transition to a larger family,” according to a study published online March 4 in the journal Pediatrics.

MedPage Today (3/5) reports that data from 1,123 new mothers revealed that “during the initial maternity hospital stay, 17.1% of women who were breastfeeding screened positive for acute postpartum state anxiety, while 5.5% screened positive for depression (P<0.0001)." New mothers "with anxiety had greater personal healthcare use in the first two postpartum weeks and breastfed for a shorter amount of time, the researchers reported." The Department of Health and Human Services, among others, helped support the study. Related Links:

— “Anxiety May Be More Common Than Depression After Pregnancy, “Maureen Salamon, HealthDay, March 4, 2013.

Posted in In The News.