Machine learning in the prediction of postpartum depression: A review

Current screening options in the setting of postpartum depression (PPD) are firmly rooted in self-report symptom-based tools. The implementation of the modern machine learning (ML) approaches might, in this context, represent a way to refine patient screening by precisely identifying possible PPD predictors and, subsequently, a population at risk of developing the disease, in an effort to lower its morbidity, mortality and its economic burden.

We performed a bibliographic search on PubMed and Embase looking for studies aimed at the identification of PPD predictors using ML techniques.

Among the 482 articles retrieved, 11 met the inclusion criteria. The most used algorithm was the support vector machine. Notably, all studies reached an area under the curve above 0.7, ultimately suggesting that the prediction of PPD could be feasible. Variables obtained from sociodemographic and clinical aspects (psychiatric and gynecological factors) seem to be the most reliable. Only three studies employed biological variables, in the form of blood, genetic and epigenetic predictors, while no study employed imaging techniques.

The literature on PPD prediction via ML techniques is currently scarce, with most studies employing different variables selection and ML algorithms, ultimately reducing the generalizability of the results.

The identification of a population at risk of developing PPD might be feasible with current technology and clinical knowledge. Further studies are necessary to clarify how such an approach could be implemented into clinical practice.