Provider report of the existence of detection and care of perinatal depression: quantitative evidence from public obstetric units in Mexico

Abstract

Objective. To provide evidence on perinatal mental healthcare in Mexico. Materials and methods. Descriptive and bivariate analyses of data from a cross-sectional probabilistic survey of 211 public obstetric units. Results. Over half (64.0%) of units offer mental healthcare; fewer offer perinatal depression (PND) detection (37.1%) and care (40.3%). More units had protocols/guidelines for PND detection and for care, respectively, in Mexico City-Mexico state (76.7%; 78.1%) than in Southern (26.5%; 36.4%), Northern (27.3%; 28.1%) and Central Mexico (50.0%; 52.7%). Conclusion. Protocols and provider training in PND, implementation of brief screening tools and psychosocial interventions delivered by non-clinical personnel are needed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21149/spm.v58i4.8028

Keywords

• perinatal depression
• postpartum depression
• mental health
• screening
• detection