Twitter Opinion Poll: Is it possible to prevent recurrence of perinatal depression with Mindfulness?

Dr Raja Gangopadhyay, Founder, International Forum for Wellbeing In Pregnancy (IFWIP) conducted an opinion poll on Twitter on 18th March 2018.

He asked the question: “Is it possible to prevent recurrence of depression in perinatal period with Mindfulness-based intervention? What do you think?”

The options were: 1) Yes  2)No  3) Could be 4) More research needed

50 people participated in the poll and the results are as follows:

1. Yes: 15%

2. No: 10%

3. Could be: 29%

4. More research needed: 46%

 

 

A recent systematic review also suggests the need for more research: “Further methodologically rigorous evaluation using RCTs and longer follow-up periods are recommended.”

Some comments on the Twitter survey are as follows:

1)  

“More research would be great in this area. I think mindfulness and CBT would help, not sure it would prevent relapse. It is worth trying as an alternative to medication.”

2)  

“I too would like to see more research in this area. Also, to know what the mindfulness intervention would be. If this is with a professional and not alone, maybe that may have benefits for the woman – because she is not alone, is being supported and being heard.”

3)

“Mindfulness while a useful tool in the kit, isn’t by itself enough to quickly bring down a traumatised client in a state of hyperarousal, so I would say we need to be more specific to see if depression is co-morbid with other conditions.”

4)

“I wanted to vote on two options here, could be and more research needed. I think wellness is multifactorial and not one size fits all, plus dependent on the severity of depression, I think mindfulness is very helpful however preventing reoccurrence I’m not sure.”

Dr Gangopadhyay would like to thank everyone who participated in the poll.