Abstract
The purpose is to investigate the natural course and long-term prognosis of postpartum depression (PPD). In this retrospective longitudinal cohort study, mothers diagnosed as either suffering from PPD or without PPD were reassessed 5–8 years thereafter by a semi-structured interview and their charts were reviewed for past psychiatric illness prior to the index (initial) episode and for new-onset episodes in the following years. Present psychiatric state was also evaluated by interview and questionnaires. Sixty-five mothers with and 35 without past PPD underwent the full assessment. A total of 66.2% of mothers with past PPD had any axis I psychopathology before their index PPD episode, compared with only 8.6% in the non-PPD group (p < 0.001, φ = .55). Furthermore, 37.2% of the females who had a history of PPD and experienced subsequent childbirths during the follow-up years, developed at least one new episode of PPD. Throughout the 5 years subsequent to the index PPD episode, 42.5% of the PPD group compared with only 3.7% for the non-PPD group developed a new episode of depression (p < 0.001). Lastly, reported psychopathology was higher and functional level was significantly worse in the PPD group at the time of reassessment. Females who develop an episode of PPD show a high degree of subsequent psychopathology and unfavorable prognosis. Clinicians treating females for PPD should consider a longer treatment continuation phase in an effort to prevent further psychopathology and a closer follow-up program.
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Data Availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [MB], upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Tomer Ziv-Baran for his statistical support and Mrs. Marina Gordon and Mrs. Maayan Molmen Lichter from the Women’s Mental Health Research Unit for their support.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by all authors. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Prof. Miki Bloch and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Bloch, M., Tevet, M., Onn, R. et al. The long-term course and prognosis of postpartum depression: a retrospective longitudinal cohort study. Arch Womens Ment Health 27, 99–107 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01373-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01373-6