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REVIEW article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1511817
The role of anesthesiologists in postpartum depression： Current perspectives and future directions
Provisionally accepted- 1 Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- 2 Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
Postpartum depression is a common complication of childbirth that can seriously affect women, infants, and families. In 2020, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China mandated depression and anxiety screenings during pregnancy and postpartum visits to ensure timely medical intervention and referrals to appropriate behavioral health resources. Anesthesiologists are indispensable members in obstetric practice. Optimal peripartum pain control can reduce stress response; promote breastfeeding; and lower maternal anxiety and depression. Recently, the discovery of the rapid and sustained antidepressant properties of ketamine and emerging evidence supporting the effectiveness of anesthetic drugs in the treatment of depressive disorders have positioned anesthesiologists on a new frontier for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. This review aimed to explore the impact of labor epidural analgesia, obstetric anesthesia, and anesthetic drugs on postpartum depression while discussing the emerging role of anesthesiologists in its prevention and treatment based on recent evidence.
Keywords: postpartum depression, Labor analgesia, Obstetric Anesthesia, Cesarean Section, Anesthetic drugs
Received: 15 Oct 2024; Accepted: 12 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Du, Song, Xu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Weijia Du, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Zhiqiang Liu, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.