Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:1028-1030
Copyright © 1997 by American Psychiatric Association
Interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed antepartum women: a pilot study
MG Spinelli
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, USA. spinellm@child.cpmc.columbia.edu
OBJECTIVE: Antenatal depression, a substantial risk factor for postpartum
depression, occurs in 10% of pregnant women, but no clinical treatment
trials of antenatal depression exist. In an effort to establish treatment
guidelines for depression during pregnancy, the author reports on a
treatment program using interpersonal psychotherapy for antepartum
depression. METHOD: A 16-week open pilot trial conducted with 13 pregnant
women who met DSM-III-R criteria for major depression. RESULTS: The women's
mean depression ratings decreased significantly from week 0 to week 16 of
the treatment program. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal psychotherapy for
antepartum depression appears to be an effective alternative to
pharmacotherapy in pregnancy. This study served as a pilot for an ongoing
controlled clinical treatment trial.
