Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

First Advisor

Staveteig, Mindy

Keywords

Postpartum, Anxiety, Pharmacological Treatment, Non-pharmacological Treatment

Abstract

The purpose of this literature review is to determine the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors/Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI/SNRI) in women suffering from postpartum anxiety. Efficacy of nonpharmacological, pharmacological, and combination therapy compared within this review. Lastly, prophylactic treatment of anxiety was examined in women who were pregnant or who were newly postpartum without diagnosis of anxiety. In this review the database PubMed was utilized to conduct research that included many different keywords. The articles included were limited to within the last 30 years, and research was narrowed by limiting patient population to postpartum women and eliminating articles that did not evaluate CBT or SSRI/SNRI medication as a form of treatment for anxiety during the postpartum period. The data presented shows evidence that CBT and SSRI/SNRI pharmacological treatment are effective in the treatment of postpartum anxiety, which indication that CBT is more effective in the short term, while pharmacological treatment may be more beneficial for patients needing long term treatment. Analysis of literature did not show any evidence suggesting statistically more significant reduction or remission of symptoms when combining non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments. Further research should be conducted to explore potential benefits of prophylactic treatment in the antepartum period for postpartum anxiety.

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