Study improves recovery for mothers with depression

	Tweet

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a therapy programme to treat depression in women in developing countries.

Although depression is a major health problem world-wide, experts say its impact is greatest in developing countries where 80% of the population live. Often there are no resources available to treat sufferers.

Professor Atif Rahman from the School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences developed a therapy programme while working as a Wellcome Trust Career Fellow in Tropical Medicine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

“Depression is one of the leading causes of mental illness in the world and when the condition affects mothers with newborn babies, it can lead to serious consequences” he says. “The impacts include low birth-weight, poor growth, frequent diarrhoea and the mother failing to ensure the child is properly immunised. These conditions tend to remain untreated in countries like Pakistan where only a fraction of the Government’s budget is spent on health. 

The programme, which is designed to be integrated into the routine work of ordinary village-based health workers, has been tested in Rawalpindi. Community health workers visiting expectant mothers are trained to use principles of cognitive behaviour therapy as treatment. Patients attend sessions every week in the last month of pregnancy, followed by three sessions in the first post-natal month, and nine monthly sessions thereafter.

The largest trial of the treatment of depression using community health workers from any country in the developing world involved 903 mothers – 463 of whom were in the therapy group. The mothers from this control group were twice as likely to be depressed as those given the therapy after six and 12 months.

###

The research is published in the Lancet.

Contact: Charlotte Roberts

01-517-943-044
University of Liverpool

RELATED STORIES:
Maternal depression is associated with significant sleep disturbance in infants   Older Adults Have Lower Rates of Mood, Anxiety Disorders   Anxiety sensitivity a risk to mental health   Mood lifting   Parents at highest risk for depression in the first year after child’s birth   Noven, Shire Have Positive Data for ADHD Treatment   Hippocampal myo-inositol and cognitive ability in adults with Down Syndrome   New psychotherapy has potential to treat majority of cases of eating disorders   Depressed girls at risk of partner abuse as adults   PTSD Not Most Common Disorder That Develops After Trauma   Pregnancy-related depression linked to eating disorders and abuse histories   Is Bipolar Disorder Overdiagnosed in Adults?   Blood test accurately distinguishes depressed patients from healthy controls   Study Suggests Salt Might be ‘Nature’s Antidepressant’   What happens to baby when Mom is depressed?

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]