Perinatal Depression and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Future Direction.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of stressful situations have affected perinatal women, including behavioral restrictions due to government lockdown, avoidance of hospital visits due to infection anxiety, and increased partner violence due to economic difficulties. These increased stressors often have impacts on perinatal mental health. Methods: This review summarizes the prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the impact of the pandemic on perinatal mental health around the world. Results: The prevalence of perinatal depression ranged from 13-58%, and perinatal anxiety ranged from 11-61%, based on simple screening methods. As the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among perinatal women increases, medical staff availability will decrease. Therefore, receiving medical care is becoming increasingly difficult for perinatal women under pandemic restrictions. A need exists to popularize mobile applications and other online methods for remotely providing mental healthcare to perinatal women. Conclusion: The important role of medical staffs in caring for pregnant women includes preventing perinatal depression by telemedicine during a pandemic. Clear procedures should be prepared on how medical staffs of obstetrics and gynecology can be involved in telemedicine for perinatal women and the optimal timing for connecting them to psychiatric care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]