Complementary and alternative medicine therapies for perinatal depression

In the paper

“In general, women use CAM treatments more frequently than men, and are also more likely to suffer from disorders such as MDD and anxiety disorders, for which CAM treatments are commonly pursued [15].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Barnes, 2009, Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007, Natl Health Stat Report

In the paper

“maternal suicide accounts for up to 20% of postnatal deaths in depressed women [13].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [13] Bishop, 2011, The use of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Complement Ther Med source

In the paper

“attachment insecurity [11]”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [11] Deave, 2008, The impact of maternal depression in pregnancy on early child development, BJOG source

In the paper

“In general, women use CAM treatments more frequently than men, and are also more likely to suffer from disorders such as MDD and anxiety disorders, for which CAM treatments are commonly pursued [15].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Barnes, 2009, Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007, Natl Health Stat Report

In the paper

“Despite the growing prevalence of CAM use, the number of adequately powered, well-designed randomized clinical trials of CAM treatments is limited.”

In the paper

“Depression during pregnancy is a major risk factor for postnatal depression [9].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [9] Gotlib, 1991, Prospective investigation of postpartum depression: factors involved in onset and recovery, J Abnorm Psychol source

In the paper

“Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids with well-established health benefits and particular benefits for obstetrical outcomes and infant development [17,18].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [17] McGregor, 2001, The omega-3 story: nutritional prevention of preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, Obstet Gynecol Surv source
• Not checked yetcites [18] Koletzko, 2008, The roles of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnancy, lactation and infancy: review of current knowledge and consensus recommendations, J Perinat Med source

In the paper

“including difficult infant and childhood temperament [10]”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [10] Forman, 2007, Effective treatment for postpartum depression is not sufficient to improve the developing mother-child relationship, Dev Psychopathol source

In the paper

“Omega-3 fatty acids are among the most commonly used CAM treatments in the United States (U.S.) [16].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [16] Hibbeln, 2007, Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study, Lancet source

In the paper

“Folate has been studied in a placebo-controlled trial an adjunctive treatment to fluoxetine, with significantly greater improvement in the folate group, a difference most pronounced in women [43].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [43] Papakostas, 2012, l-Methylfolate as adjunctive therapy for SSRI-resistant major depression: results of two randomized, double-blind, parallel-sequential trials, Am J Psychiatry source

In the paper

“St. John’s Wort, at a daily dosage of 300-1200mg, had an advantage over placebo and efficacy similar to tricyclic or SSRI antidepressants, with better efficacy than the standard antidepressant in a subgroup of patients with mild to moderate depression [55].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [55] Murphy, 2005, Interaction of St John's Wort with oral contraceptives: effects on the pharmacokinetics of norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol, ovarian activity and breakthrough bleeding, Contraception source

In the paper

“Several placebo-controlled RCTs and two meta-analyses found SAMe, studied in doses of 200-1600mg per day, significantly more efficacious than placebo and equivalent to tricyclic antidepressants, in the treatment of depression, while a couple of studies report it equivalent to placebo [48-50].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [48] Bressa, 1994, S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe) as antidepressant: meta-analysis of clinical studies, Acta Neurol Scand Suppl source
• Not checked yetcites [49] Hardy, 2002
• Not checked yetcites [50] Papakostas, 2010, S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors for antidepressant nonresponders with major depressive disorder: a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, Am J Psychiatry source

In the paper

“There were fewer very preterm births (<34 weeks’ gestation) in the DHA group compared with the control group but more post-term births requiring obstetric intervention in the DHA group compared with the control group.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [34] Su, 2008, Omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder during pregnancy: results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, J Clin Psychiatry source

In the paper

“depressive symptoms, measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 6 weeks and 6 months postnatally did not differ between groups, nor did neurodevelopmental outcomes of their offspring differ at 18 months age [34].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [34] Su, 2008, Omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder during pregnancy: results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, J Clin Psychiatry source

In the paper

“It appears to be excreted into breast milk at undetectable to low levels, comparable to other antidepressants and its bioactive components at or below the limit of quantification in infant plasma [60].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [60] Klier, 2006, St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) and breastfeeding: plasma and breast milk concentrations of hyperforin for 5 mothers and 2 infants, J Clin Psychiatry source

In the paper

“Bright light therapy is generally well tolerated, although there is a risk of induction of mania in individuals with bipolar disorder [64,65].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [64] Golden, 2005, The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence, Am J Psychiatry source
• Not checked yetcites [65] Sit, 2007, Light therapy for bipolar disorder: a case series in women, Bipolar Disord source

In the paper

“Few studies have investigated the safety of St. John’s Wort during the perinatal period, and no published RCTs have evaluated efficacy or safety in perinatal depression.”

In the paper

“improvement was found with 15mg per day but not the 7.5 mg per day dose [44].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [44] Inskip, 2009, Women's compliance with nutrition and lifestyle recommendations before pregnancy: general population cohort study, BMJ source

In the paper

“Current evidence may support the use of 1-9 g supplement of EPA + DHA daily for patients with mood disorders, though use of greater than 3 g daily should be monitored by a physician due to the risk of bleeding [27].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [27] Golding, 2009, High levels of depressive symptoms in pregnancy with low omega-3 fatty acid intake from fish, Epidemiology source

In the paper

“Results from the individual studies were mixed with a more robust effect seen in patients with mild to moderate depressive symptoms and less evidence of effectiveness in severe MDD.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [54] Roder, 2004, Meta-analysis of effectiveness and tolerability of treatment of mild to moderate depression with St. John's Wort [in German], Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr
• Not checked yetcites [55] Murphy, 2005, Interaction of St John's Wort with oral contraceptives: effects on the pharmacokinetics of norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol, ovarian activity and breakthrough bleeding, Contraception source

In the paper

“A smaller study of electroacupuncture compared to sham acupuncture for the treatment of postnatal depression demonstrated that both treatments were associated with improvement in depression symptoms, with no between-group difference in outcome measures [97].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [97] Chung, 2012, Randomized non-invasive sham-controlled pilot trial of electroacupuncture for postpartum depression, J Affect Disord source

In the paper

“An 8-week “Mother and Baby” program, including exercise, was associated with lower EPDS scores in the intervention group at study end, but between-group significance was lost at follow up one month later [80].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [80] Norman, 2010, An exercise and education program improves well-being of new mothers: a randomized controlled trial, Phys Ther source

In the paper

“In participants who received at least three weeks of bright light therapy, depression scores improved by a mean of 49%; among participants who completed at least five weeks, scores improved by 59%. No significant side effects were reported, except treatment-related nausea.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [66] Oren, 2002, An open trial of morning light therapy for treatment of antepartum depression, Am J Psychiatry source

In the paper

“Bright light therapy produced a significantly greater antidepressant response than dim light, with significant differences at the end of the extension phase. One participant who received bright light therapy experienced hypomania, which resolved upon reduction of the duration of daily light exposure.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [67] Epperson, 2004, Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings, J Clin Psychiatry source

In the paper

“Additionally, establishing a truly blinded placebo condition for acupuncture research is challenging.”

In the paper

“epidemiological data suggest that regular exercise is associated with decreased risk of depressive symptoms [72], although not all trials have consistently demonstrated benefit [73].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [72] Strawbridge, 2002, Physical activity reduces the risk of subsequent depression for older adults, Am J Epidemiol source
• Not checked yetcites [73] Chalder, 2012, A pragmatic randomised controlled trial to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a physical activity intervention as a treatment for depression: the treating depression with physical activity (TREAD) trial, Health Technol Assess source

In the paper

“Because acupuncture is often practiced in the context of other cultural practices, it is difficult to assess through the lens of Western medicine, as diagnostic and symptom assessments may not be standardized across studies and acupuncture techniques may vary across sites and studies.”

In the paper

“Support for its neuroendocrine effects include demonstration of message to decrease salivary and urinary cortisol levels and increase urinary serotonin and dopamine levels over the therapy period [84].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [84] Field, 2005, Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy, Int J Neurosci source

In the paper

“bright light was associated with a greater reduction of depressive symptoms, with 81.3% of women receiving bright light experiencing ≥50% reduction in symptoms as compared to 45.5% who received placebo dim light. The treatment was tolerated well, without adverse effects reported [68].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [68] Wirz-Justice, 2011, A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of light therapy for antepartum depression, J Clin Psychiatry source

In the paper

“Some acupuncture points have been reported to hasten cervical ripening at term and advance labour and delivery [94].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [94] Gaudet, 2008, Effectiveness of acupuncture for the initiation of labour at term: a pilot randomized controlled trial, J Obstet Gynaecol Can source

In the paper

“Both groups experienced significant improvement from baseline, without differences in response.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [69] Corral, 2007, Morning light therapy for postpartum depression, Arch Womens Ment Health source