Abstract
Nearly 50 percent of women will experience “baby blues” after giving birth, and 10 to 15 percent of pregnant and parenting women will develop postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers, & Sit, 2006). PPD is a mental health diagnosis, with symptoms similar to major depression, and if left untreated, can last months to years after giving birth (Naveed & Naz, 2015). This research study was conducted to analyze social workers and other mental health practitioner’s views on screening for postpartum depression (PPD). This survey was posted on the Postpartum Support International social media page, as well as distributed to social workers within the University of Minnesota Health System. The research questions for this study were “What are social workers and other mental health professionals’ opinions on screening for postpartum depression?” and, “Do social workers and mental health professionals’ think that making recommendations after a positive screen of PPD affect women’s likelihood to seek treatment?” There was a total of 13 participants, all social workers. All respondents thought that screening for PPD should be done multiple times before giving birth and after. The majority of respondents also thought that it was the duty of multiple medical and mental health professionals to screen for PPD. Most respondents also thought that screening and making a recommendation for treatment did increase womens chances of seeking treatment after a positive screen for PPD.