Study Calls For Pediatricians to pay More Attention to Maternal Mental Health
crying baby
A visit to the pediatrician's office typically conjures up images of a doctor assessing the health of a child. But, new research indicates pediatricians are often missing an opportunity to asses another critical aspect of a child's well-being: their mother's mental health.
Dr. Bonnie Kerker of NYU School of Medicine says a routine pediatrician's visit should be about more than just the baby. She's the co-author, with doctors from Montefiore, of a new study that finds less than half of pediatricians screen new mothers for mental health issues associated with pregnancy. She says because pre or postpartum depression can have a negative effect on parenting, pediatricians need to actively screen mothers for problems with mental health.
“Pediatricians don’t always see parental mental health as within the scope of their practice,” said Dr. Kerker, “but given how much we know about parent characteristics as risk factors for poor childhood developments, this is really misguided.”
Kerker also believes state laws need to be adjusted to allow pediatricians to get reimbursed for the time spent talking to mothers about their mental health.
