New Program Will Help Depressed Mothers in Developing Countries

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new therapy program which will help depressed mothers in developing countries who otherwise would not be able to obtain treatment due to a lack of resources.

It was created by Professor Atif Rahman, of the the School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences, while working as a Wellcome Trust Career Fellow in Tropical Medicine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

"Depression is one of the leading causes of mental illness in the world," said Rahman , "and when the condition affects mothers with newborn babies, it can lead to serious consequences. The impacts include low birth-weight, poor growth, frequent diarrhea and the mother failing to ensure the child is properly immunized."

The program, which was tested in Rawalpindi, would be integrated into the routine of village-based health workers who already visit pregnant mothers. These workers would be trained to use principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to help depressed mothers. Patients would receive weekly sessions in the last month of pregnancy, three sessions in the month following the birth of their babies and nine monthly sessions thereafter.,

When this plan was followed in the Rawalpindi study, results were good. At the six and 12 month points, mothers who had not received the therapy were twice as likely to be depressed as those mothers who had received the therapy.

The study was published in the September 13 issue of The Lancet