Postpartum Depression Statistics

Worldwide, postpartum depression statistics do not make for very good reading.

Since general overall depression is frequently unreported or goes undetected, only a 25% portion of this category of people suffering from mental illness are actually undergoing treatment at any given point.

At a gender level, women suffer from depression more than men globally, and incidence is primarily high in the reproductive years from ages 25 to 45. The undeniable link between depression and the reproductive cycle of women is more clearly underlined by the incidence of higher depression cases during the premenstrual, perimenopausal and post delivery period of women in general.

According to WrongDiagnosis.com, the prevalence of postpartum depression, which indicates the number of pregnant women who suffer the condition at any point in time, is about 10%. This postpartum depression statistic works out to about 1 in 679 or 0.15% of people in the US.

In addition, figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008 suggested the prevalence of self-reported postpartum depression ranged from 11.7% to 20.4% in different states in the US.

The postpartum depression statistics released by the CDC also showed that certain groups of women were more at risk, and these included: teenage mothers, women who were less educated, physical abuse victims (before as well as during pregnancy), those suffering trauma, smokers, as well as those under financial stress during pregnancy.

Having a baby of low-birth-weight as well as one who was admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit were also factors associated with self-reported postpartum depression.

Research studies conducted on data collected from over 35,000 deliveries at intervals of 90 days over a timeframe of 2 years preceding and following delivery - a study by Kendell and colleagues demonstrated a seven-fold increase in the risk of psychiatric hospitalization in the first three months post delivery. This study also revealed that the risk of psychosis related ailments was 22 times higher than the pre-pregnancy rate.

In conclusion, it is clearly evident that postpartum depression is a frequently undetected but nevertheless devastating affliction that affects a vast population of women post childbirth. The solution is successful treatment via early detection and professional intervention. This can include pharmacologic drugs, which we feel should only be used as a last resort, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.

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