Advances in Perinatal Depression: A Focus on Screening and Treatment

Perinatal depression (PND), encompassing both major and minor depressive episodes during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum, is a prevalent and debilitating condition with profound consequences for maternal, infant, and family well-being. Clinical screening of PND remains challenging due to obstacles in early detection, symptom overlap with normal perinatal experiences, lack of standardized screening protocols, and considerable interpatient variability. Furthermore, the complexity of treating PND arises from multiple interconnected factors, including medication safety considerations during pregnancy and lactation, information barriers resulting from the separation of mental health services from obstetric and pediatric care systems, and unique sociocultural obstacles. The absence of systematically integrated care pathways often leads to severe and potentially irreversible outcomes for both mothers and infants. Hence, this review summarizes recent advances in PND screening and treatment, emphasizing the critical transition toward integrated or collaborative care models. Notably, future efforts should focus on overcoming implementation barriers, digital health solutions, task-sharing frameworks, and personalized treatment strategies to ensure equitable access to these innovations for affected populations.