Context

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that negatively affects maternal functioning and child outcomes. Prevalence rates demonstrate that up to 19.2% of women will develop a major or minor depressive episode within the first 3 months postpartum.1 Depression places the second greatest burden on the health of childbearing women worldwide. Despite the prevalence and negative consequences of PPD, it is a condition that has been under-recognised and undertreated in primary care settings. Universal screening efforts have been implemented in multiple medical and community settings. However, there are drawbacks to universal screening and limited empirical data demonstrating its effectiveness. A major criticism of universal screening is the availability and capacity …