Telemedicine, telepsychiatry, and perinatal depression

• Autor(a) principal: Rocha, Renan
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Rennó Jr., Joel, Ribeiro, Hewdy Lobo, Cavalsan, Juliana Pires, Cantilino, Amaury, Ribeiro, Jerônimo de Almeida Mendes, Valadares, Gislene, Silva, Antônio Geraldo da
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Debates em Psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/129
• topic: Telemedicina; saúde da mulher; depressão; Telemedicine; women’s health; depression

Perinatal depression (PD) is the obstetric complication with the highest rates of underdiagnosis and is an important risk factor for suicide, which is considered to be one of the most common causes of maternal mortality. Consequently, mental health care should be a priority during pregnancy and the postpartumperiod, as the early identification of PD may bring substantial health benefits to the mother, child, and family. The main psychometric instrument used for secondary prevention of PD is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, validated for Brazilians and for use in telemedicine (TM). The use of TM is considered a breakthrough in obstetrics as well. The application of psychometric instruments via TM produces information with similar or greater accuracy when compared with local, paper-and-pencil, face to face application. In addition, it allows for greater honesty due a greater perception of privacy, thus reducing the influence of stigma. Therefore, the use of TM and telepsychiatry in women’s mental health has become a promising clinical strategy to expand access and improve the results of PD screening.