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Introduction: In the perinatal period the woman is vulnerable to depression. Major and minor depression presents prevalence rates ranging respectively from 8,5 and 11% during pregnancy and between 6.5% and 12.9% in the first year post-partum. However, only a small percentage of cases are identified and treated, with negative consequences on both the mother and the baby. Objective: To compare two samples of women at the first month postpartum, the first followed since first month of pregnancy and the second evaluated the first time in the first month postpartum, about the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methodology: We compared two groups of women in the first month postpartum: 271 women followed since 1 st month of pregnancy and 130 women evaluated for the first time in the first month postpartum. We administered: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R) and the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of Axis I psychiatric disorders (SCID-I). Results: In the first month postpartum, women followed since pregnancy have a significantly lower depressive symptoms and anxiety, as demonstrated by lower EPDS scores (t=−6,140, p<.001) and STAI scores (t=−4,800, p<.001). Conclusions: Early screening can reduce rates of perinatal psychopathology and allow to identify women most at risk, allowing earlier diagnosis and better treatment management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of maternal antenatal attachment and post-partum psychopathology, maternal-infant bonding, while checking for antenatal psychopathology, for lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and for the known risk factors for peripartum depression., Methods: One hundred and six women recruited at the first month of pregnancy (T0) were evaluated with the structured interview for DSM-IV TR (SCID-I) to assess the presence of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and with the Perinatal Depression Predictor Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). At the sixth month of pregnancy (T1) and at the first month post-partum (T2), all patients were evaluated with the PDPI-R, the EPDS, the STAI, at T1, with the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), and at T2 with the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS)., Results: Multivariate regression analyses showed that maternal-foetal attachment was the variable most significantly associated with postnatal symptoms of depression and anxiety and with quality of maternal-infant attachment. The logistic regression analyses showed that antenatal attachment may predict postnatal depressive and anxiety symptoms (respectively, OR: 0.83 - IC [0.74 - 0.95], p = .005, OR: 0.88 - IC [0.79 - 0.98], p = .02), and the quality of maternal postnatal attachment (OR: 1.17 - IC [1.08 - 1.27], p < .001), also after taking into account the known risk factors for perinatal depression, the sociodemographic variables and lifetime psychiatric diagnosis., Conclusion: The quality of maternal-foetal bonding may independently predict the quality of maternal-infant attachment and post-partum depressive and anxiety symptoms. A comprehensive assessment of maternal risk factors for perinatal psychopathology during pregnancy should include the evaluation of antenatal attachment that could be modifiable by specific interventions promoting the quality of maternal bonding.

Objectives: The Bipolar Disorders: Improving Diagnosis, Guidance and Education (BRIDGE)-II-Mix study aimed to estimate the frequency of mixed states in patients with a major depressive episode (MDE) according to different definitions. The present post-hoc analysis evaluated the association between obesity and the presence of mixed features and bipolarity., Methods: A total of 2811 MDE subjects were enrolled in a multicenter cross-sectional study. In 2744 patients, the body mass index (BMI) was evaluated. Psychiatric symptoms, and sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected, comparing the characteristics of MDE patients with (MDE-OB) and without (MDE-NOB) obesity., Results: Obesity (BMI ≥30) was registered in 493 patients (18%). In the MDE-OB group, 90 patients (20%) fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria for bipolar disease (BD), 225 patients (50%) fulfilled the bipolarity specifier criteria, 59 patients (13%) fulfilled DSM-5 criteria for MDEs with mixed features, and 226 patients (50%) fulfilled Research-Based Diagnostic Criteria for an MDE. Older age, history of (hypo)manic switches during antidepressant treatment, the occurrence of three or more MDEs, atypical depressive features, antipsychotic treatment, female gender, depressive mixed state according to DSM-5 criteria, comorbid eating disorders, and anxiety disorders were significantly associated with the MDE-OB group. Among (hypo)manic symptoms during the current MDE, psychomotor agitation, distractibility, increased energy, and risky behaviors were the variables most frequently associated with MDE-OB group., Conclusions: In our sample, the presence of obesity in patients with an MDE seemed to be associated with higher rates of bipolar spectrum disorders. These findings suggest that obesity in patients with an MDE could be considered as a possible marker of bipolarity., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)