Minister Welcomes Release of First Perinatal Depression Survey

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PDF printable version of Minister Welcomes Release of First Perinatal Depression Survey (PDF 216 KB)

3 July 2012

Minister for Mental Health Mark Butler has welcomed the release of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s survey on perinatal depression.

The research conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, surveyed 29,000 mothers or carers of children aged 0 – 24 months and found that 8 in 10 women suffering from postnatal depression received treatment, with nearly 20% of mothers surveyed diagnosed with depression.

Mr Butler said the survey developed in consultation with BeyondBlue and professional experts will provide important baseline data for future research in this area.

“One of the key challenges for tackling perinatal depression as a government is the lack of consistent data across the States and Territories.

“Data collected in this survey will provide important baseline information on screening and treatment as well as better targeting of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative,” Mr Butler said.

The data revealed that perinatal depression was found to be higher among mothers who were aged under 25, unemployed, smokers, from low income households, from more disadvantaged areas, and born in Australia in English speaking households.

Mr Butler said Labor was committed to addressing the issue through the National Perinatal Depression Initiative.

“The National Perinatal Depression Initiative aims to improve prevention and early detection of antenatal and postnatal depression and to provide better care, support and treatment for expectant and new mothers experiencing depression.

“The Labor Government provided $42,000 in funding to the Australian National Infant Feeding Survey to include questions relating to perinatal depression,” Mr Butler said.

“We’ve provided $55 million over five years towards the National Perinatal Depression Initiative, including $30 million in funding to State and Territory governments to help support the rollout of universal screening, support services and training.

“We’ve also invested an additional $20 million in the Access to Allied Psychological Services program to support better treatment for women with perinatal depression on top of the $5 million given to BeyondBlue to support implementation for the initiative.”
Mr Butler said the Government’s investment has resulted in an increase in women being screened and treated for perinatal depression across all States and Territories.

“With the assistance of federal funding, Beyondblue have developed and promoted clinical guidelines for the screening and treatment of perinatal depression and related disorders, and have developed materials for women and the community to raise awareness of perinatal depression.”

Data showed that most women sought treatment from a GP and that perinatal depression was less prevalent among mothers who were highly educated, from high income households, living in major cities.

The report will be available online at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website.

For more information, please contact the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280