Maternal depression can seriously affect a child's development

Main Category: Depression
Article Date: 08 Oct 2004 - 12:00 PDT

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OTTAWA - One in ten women who are pregnant will experience depression and approximately 13 per cent of new mothers experience postpartum depression.

Maternal depression can have serious and lasting consequences on a child's development. That is why the Canadian Paediatric Society's Psychosocial Committee has released a new statement that explores the issue of maternal depression and its affect on child development. The statement reviews the role of the child's physician in the detection of symptoms of maternal depression, and in the coordination of appropriate support and management.

"The role of the paediatrician or the physician caring for the infant is to make sure that he or she is thriving in an adequate, nurturing environment," says Dr. Anne-Claude Bernard-Bonnin, the author of the statement Maternal depression and child development. "Early recognition of depression is important because a depressed mother will not be in the best position to understand the cues or signals of her baby. Their interaction will be hampered by the fact that she will not be able to respond to her child's needs appropriately. Because the physician who takes care of infant also sees the new mother regularly, he or she might be able to pick up a problem and take action."

The consequences of maternal postpartum depression are not restricted to infancy, but can also extend into toddlerhood, preschool age, and even school age children. Children of depressed mothers are at risk for developmental and behavioural problems and may be predisposed for developing depressive disorders themselves.

"Maternal depression can affect children through childhood and adolescence in various degrees," says Dr. Bernard-Bonnin. "A child not only needs good nutrition and care but also a needs nurturing mother. It is important that the physician be thinking of this issue."

The statement reviews treatment options and their affect on the infant during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Among the statement's recommendations:

-- As long-term studies have not shown adverse affects, mothers who have taken anti-depressant medication during pregnancy should be reassured about the neuro-development of their child.

-- Mothers who have taken anti-depressant medication during lactation should be reassured that much of the evidence to date shows that there are no neurological or developmental abnormalities in children exposed through breast-milk to such medication.

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national professional association, representing more than 2,200 paediatricians, that advocates for the health needs of children and youth. Its peer-review journal, Paediatrics & Child Health, is published 10 times a year and circulated to 15,500 child health care professionals. For more information about depression in pregnant women and mothers and how children are affected visit http://www.cps.ca & http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca.

Media inquiries:
Christine LaRocque
(613) 526-9397, ext. 234
media@cps.ca Canadian Paediatric Society