I listened in on the press conference today by the National Academies on a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine on parents with depression. Very exciting to hear the level of understanding about how depression impacts families and how important it is to address it.
From today's news release (to read the entire news release, click here):
"Effective tools and strategies exist to treat and prevent depression, but only one-third of adult sufferers get treatment. Although many factors affect children's development, parental depression can increase the chances for health, emotional and behavioral problems in children. The report does not suggest that every parent with depression will inadvertently or deliberately cause harm to their children, but rather than parental depression increases the risks for spillover consequences during critical periods of child and adolescent development.
"'To break the vicious circle of depression, we need to refocus our view of this illness through a broader lens that sees the whole family, not just the individual with depression,' said committee chair and psychiatrist Mary Jane England, president, Regis College. "Our report describes a new vision for depression care that would provide comprehensive services not just to adults, but to their children as well. It will take significant policy changes to make this vision a reality, but the benefits warrant the effort.'"
Couldn't agree more. Highlights:
- 7.5 million parents are affected by depression in the US each year. 16 million children live in those households.
- Only one third of adults who manifest depression are actually treated in any given year.
- Depression interferes with the quality of parenting and puts children at risk for poor health and development.
- The National Academies endorses screening and believes it's crucial, but also emphasizes screening is not helpful unless there is effective follow up and treatment tied to it.
- Individuals need an informed choice in the treatments they choose.
- There are not enough mental health providers in certain areas of the country, and many primary care providers don't have the specific skills or awareness needed to treat parents with depression.
- They recommend parentsbe able to access screening and services in a variety of locations,including WIC, Headstart, schools and of course doctors' offices (OB/GYNs, pediatricians), community centers.
- They recommend the whole family receive care, with comprehensive services for the children as well as the parents.
- There is powerful evidence of the need for psychoeducation of parents, and they indicated that interpersonal education (such as in the doctor's office) isvery effective. Peer-to-peer support was mentioned as one way to do this. Education is crucial and there is not a lot of good information out there.
- The group suggests that governors of each state convene a task force to develop and implement the strategies they recommend.
Also, a few facts from the press conference, most of which you probably know if you are a regular Postpartum Progress reader:
- Depression is extremely common and is a universal disorder that affects people regardless of education, race and income.
- The World Health Organization notes that depression is second only to heart disease in the level of disability and lack of productivity it creates in those who have it.
- Females have double the rates of depression of males.
- There are many causes of depression:genetic factors, environmental risks, biochemical factors, personal vulnerabilities and resilience.
I asked the panel to respond to the fears of those who worry that universal screening will just "overmedicalize" depression. Their response was that screening will be effective if it is attached to treatment, so availability of services and follow through is important. They also said they emphasize giving parents a choice among treatments by offering a variety of options. (The same EXACT things I might point out that those in the perinatal mood and anxiety disorder community believe.)
As Dr. William Beardslee, Professor of Child Psychiatry, Children's Hospital inBoston, stated during the conference, "The first two years of life are crucial and we need very intensive interventions at that time for depressed parents."
To order the full report, click here.
