Is peripartum depression just another depression? LICENTIATE THESIS

Depressive symptoms in pregnancy are common, reported by approximately 20% of pregnant women worldwide. Of these, around 4-7% fulfill the criteria for major depressive episode (MDE). The prevalence rates of MDE seem no different from those in non-pregnant women of childbearing ages, or may even be lower. Further, the clinical presentation of depressive symptoms in women of childbearing age does not differ depending on whether women are pregnant, postpartum or outside the peripartum period. For this reason, some researchers argue that peripartum depression is just another depression, merely occurring at a stressful point in life. Antenatal depression and antidepressant treatment have been associated with an increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, impaired placental function, decreased fetal body and head growth. Nevertheless, little is known about the biological mechanisms behind these complications and more research is needed to elucidate the underlying pathways. In this thesis we have studied 1) attentional bias in antenatal and postpartum depression, with or without antidepressant treatment and 2) peripheral inflammatory markers in pregnancy (depressed, SSRI-treated, healthy