Dr Sharma emphasised the need for early and repeated screenings, stating, “Pregnancy is an important time of life from a health perspective. However, it is not known how many health care professionals understand the connection between the mind and heart and routinely screen and optimise psychological health during the perinatal period.” She explained that these screenings should be carried out alongside routine checks for high blood pressure and diabetes.
Certain factors—such as domestic violence, sleep problems, lack of support, and previous pregnancy complications—can increase the risk of perinatal depression and anxiety. To address this, healthcare providers should be trained to use screening tools like the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), which helps identify symptoms of depression and anxiety. Treatment plans should be culturally sensitive, involve shared decision-making, and consider both medication and non-medication approaches, including therapy, cognitive behavioural techniques, and stress management strategies.
However, barriers remain. Stigma, fear of child welfare involvement, provider time constraints, and a lack of insurance coverage for mental health services all make it harder to integrate psychological care into maternal health programmes. The statement calls for policy changes to make mental health support more accessible, including increased funding for doulas, midwives, and community health workers.
There is also a need for further research on the long-term effects of mental health during and after pregnancy, particularly in underrepresented communities. Dr Sharma and her team emphasise the importance of studying a wider range of psychological conditions beyond depression—such as anxiety, PTSD, and early-life trauma—which may have lasting impacts on a mother’s heart health.
In 2024, MQ Mental Health Research created an opportunity, developed and funded by Wellcome, to support researchers outside psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience to apply bold and novel ideas and methods from their discipline to mental health science. One study looked at using artificial intelligence and mental health health apps to support mothers with perinatal depression and anxiety. Read more about this breakthrough research here.