Managing postpartum depression : pharmacotherapy versus psychotherapy

Abstract

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of parturition which affects mothers within the first year after childbirth. Several treatments exist in order to treat and manage depressive symptoms. The aim of this literature review is to identify which is the most effective treatment between pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in order to manage primiparae suffering from postpartum depression to improve the quality of life of the mother, family and their relationship. The research question: Is pharmacotherapy more effective than psychotherapy in the management of mothers suffering from postpartum depression? The PICO elements included are mothers suffering from postpartum depression as the population, pharmacotherapy as the intervention, psychotherapy as the comparison and management of postpartum depression symptoms as the outcome. The inclusion criteria included studies of mothers suffering from postnatal depression, studies from all geographical regions, studies with evidence-based diagnosis reports of postpartum depression, studies which are not restricted to one type of pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy, and studies which were published or professionally translated to the English language. The exclusion criteria limited this review to studies of participants who were not adults and sample sizes, studies and treatment modalities which focus on other psychiatric disorders, unpublished and studies not in full text. The search yielded six relevant articles of which five were randomised controlled trials and one was a systematic review and meta-analysis. The CASP checklists (2014) were utilised to critically appraise the articles retrieved. Results showed a positive outcome in favour of both treatment modalities. The studies assessed failed to provide a definite answer to the research question. Further research to enhance clinical practice and to determine which is the most effective treatment to manage postpartum depression is still needed and recommended to enhance the quality of life of the affected families.