The Use and Knowledge of Herbal Therapy in Postpartum Women Reporting Symtoms of Depression

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 9-16% of postpartum women, with potentially devastating consequences for mother, child, and family. Increasingly, alternative therapies are becoming treatment modalities of choice for patients with depression. The purpose of this pilot study was to focus on postpartum women with self-reported symptoms of depression and their knowledge and use of self-prescribed alternative therapy. Women who self-describe as suffering PPD and participate in the Perinatal Outreach Encouragement for Moms (POEM) support group were recruited through the POEM list serve to complete an on-line survey regarding use of alternative therapies to treat depressive symptoms. The 11 item pilot survey was designed by the student researcher with content validity established by expert researchers and nurses working with women with PPD. Questions included the use of herbal, other alternative, and prescription therapy, knowledge of side effects and interactions, and disclosure of usage of alternative therapies to healthcare providers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze prevalence of alternative and medical drug usage and disclosure. Tables and descriptive data were used to describe the demographics between women who did compared to those who did not use herbal therapy, prescribed therapy, or other alternative modalities. Of the 13 participants, 12 (92%) took medicine prescribed by their doctor or midwife for their PPD, 5 (42 %) used alternative modalities other than herbs to relieve their PPD, and 3 (23%) used herbs for their PPD. Participants had a basic knowledge extent of herbals but were unable to identify herbal and drug interactions. This pilot study showed that none of the participants using herbal therapy notified their healthcare provider of their use. This pilot study is expected to benefit healthcare professionals by identifying strengths and weaknesses of this survey. In the future, alterations of this survey can be used to identify alternative therapy usage and knowledge so that health care providers may perform focused screening and education for patients.