Analysis Of The Article Maternal Postpartum Depressive...

In the article â€Å"Maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and infant externalizing and internal behaviors† a study was conducted using 247 mothers to examine the relationship between the mothers PPD symptoms at 8 weeks and the infant’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors at 12 months. The authors and conductors of this study believe that maternal PPD symptoms influences a 12 month-old infant’s behaviors greatly which can lead to other problems with mental health and social and cognitive issues. Externalizing behaviors can be defined as restlessness, aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and unintentional harm to self or another person (Shenassa et al, 2015, p.121). Internalizing behaviors are more directed to affect one’s inner psychological†¦show more content†¦This study does show that further research needs to be done to confirm the suspected correlation. In the article â€Å"Examining the Screening Practices of Physicians for Postpartum Depression: Implications for Improving Health Outcomes† a study was done to review the different screening practices that are performed by physicians. Screening rates can improve if physicians are fully educated about postpartum depression and trained and accurately trained on the ease of routinely using a tool that validates the presence of PPD (Evans, 2015, p. 704). This is vitally important because more detection can lead to improved access to treatment and a better outcome for the mother and child in the long run. Although the exact number of women who are actually getting screened is unknown, it is safe to say that PPD is often undiagnosed. Too many women are suffering in silence because their family or they themselves are ignoring the symptoms or do not understand what is going on. Although screening tests such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Postpartum Depression do not solely diagnose PPD, they are aids in the detection of PPD and offers the physician a more in-depth view of the patient’s symptoms (Evans, 2015, p. 705). This article also focused on patient education when the mother is being discharged from the hospital.