Identifying Perinatal Depression and Anxiety: Evidence–based Practice in Screening, Psychosocial Assessment and Management

Identifying Perinatal Depression and Anxiety brings together the very latest research and clinical practice on this important topic from around the world in one valuable resource.  Leading international experts, clinicians, and researchers,  explore the evidence for, accuracy, and limitations of identification methods in the context of emerging knowledge and policy implications. It provides one of the first comparisons of current screening guidelines particularly those in Australia, England and Wales, Scotland, France and the United States.  Topics and controversies tackled include unresolved questions around infants and fathers, training for health professionals, integrating pathways to care withearly identification, and the economics of screening. Up to date practical  guidance of how to screen, broader assessment, diagnosis and management  is provided.  Timely and comprehensive, this is the first book to offer synthesis and analysis of the current state of research and practice in early identification of perinatal mental health difficulties while also sketching out future screening technologies and areas in need of further research.

Jeannette Milgrom is Professor of Psychology in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Director of Clinical and Health Psychology at Austin Health and Founder and Director of the Parent–Infant Research Institute, Australia . She is internationally recognized for her work with mothers and babies and is currently President–Elect of the Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health. She is the author of six books, including Psychology and Psychiatry: Integrating Medical Practice (Wiley, 2001)and Treating Postnatal Depression: A Psychological Approach for Health Care Practitioners (Wiley, 1999),and over 110 scientific articles and chapters. Alan Gemmill is Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of Research at the Parent–Infant Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He has led novel research into perinatal mental health for 14 years and has a special interest in clinical treatment studies and preventive intervention programs for maternal mental health difficulties. He has published widely on such topics as the neurodevelopmental benefits of early stress reduction for premature infants; the prevention of perinatal mood disorders and parenting difficulty; the major risk factors for perinatal depression and anxiety; and the predictive value of screening instruments for perinatal mood disorders.