美国国家公共电台 NPR Panel: Doctors Should Focus On Preventing Depression In Pregnant Women, New Moms

Panel: Doctors Should Focus On Preventing Depression In Pregnant Women, New Moms

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Pregnancy¹ and childbirth can be an emotional rollercoaster. Women can sometimes develop clinical depression lasting² weeks or more. A federal advisory³ panel now says depression can be prevented if physicians can identify pregnant women and new mothers who are at high risk and help them get treatment. NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee reports.

RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE⁴: Depression during pregnancy or soon after childbirth hurts not just the mother but also her child. If a pregnant woman is depressed⁵, she's at a greater risk of delivering a premature⁶ baby. And when a new mom has depression, it affects her baby's development. Karina Davidson is a professor of medicine and psychiatry⁷ at Columbia University Medical Center and a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which has just released its recommendations on perinatal depression.

KARINA DAVIDSON: What we're interested in is preventing this illness.

CHATTERJEE: The panel is asking physicians to screen women to identify those who are at high risk of becoming depressed before their symptoms turn into full-blown depression. The panel recommendations include a list of risk factors that physicians should look for in pregnant women and new moms.

DAVIDSON: We do know that women who've had a depression before or who have family members who've had a depression or currently who have elevated symptoms are at risk.

CHATTERJEE: The panel says that physicians should refer the at-risk women to counseling because it can prevent clinical depression.

DAVIDSON: We think the really big news is that counseling to prevent depression in women who are at risk works.

CHATTERJEE: The task force found evidence that two types of counseling, cognitive⁸ behavioral and interpersonal therapy, are the most effective ways to prevent depression in women. Tiffany Moore Simas is at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She wasn't part of the panel but welcomes the new recommendations. That's because she says it's a common illness.

TIFFANY MOORE SIMAS: One in 7 women on average will experience this complication.

CHATTERJEE: She says OB-GYNs should be screening to identify and treat women who already have depression, but prevention would be even better than cure. However, she says physicians may find it difficult to follow what the panel is recommending because many feel ill-equipped to handle mental health care issues, and mental health care resources can be scarce in some parts of the country. She says Massachusetts has already tackled the problem by providing more support to doctors like a toll-free line that connects them to a psychiatrist⁹.

SIMAS: OB practices or any office that is caring for a pregnant or postpartum lactating woman can pick up the phone and say, I have a woman in my office. I'm worried about her. I don't know what to do. I want to talk to the perinatal psychiatrist.

CHATTERJEE: She says such programs can make a big difference in helping¹⁰ doctors deal with this all-too-common illness that affects not just moms but their children and entire families. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.

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1 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

7 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

8 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

9 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。