Depression during pregnancy is a primary predictor of preterm birth, postpartum depression, and adverse child developmental outcomes. Depression during pregnancy is often under-detected and under-treated.
Pregnant women on low incomes (20-25%) are twice as likely as more advantaged women (9-12%) to become depressed. They typically do not seek mental health care in the community, or stay long enough to receive adequate treatment – even when they want help.
Maternity Support Services (MSS) of the Seattle-King County Public Health System routinely screens women for depression during pregnancy and up to 2 months postpartum. Because women who screened positive for depression typically did not go for community mental health treatment or to their obstetric providers, MOMCare was added to MSS.
MOMCare was designed to improve the care of pregnant women on Medicaid with major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or dysthymia (chronically depressed mood). Having an effective depression intervention based in the public health system of Seattle-King County is an important way to meet the mental health and health needs of women on low incomes and to help their babies have a good start in life.