What is the effectiveness of primary care interventions in managing postnatal depression in the UK?

AI Summary

Postnatal depression affects about one in ten women within 12 months; suicide remains the leading maternal death cause between six weeks and 12 months.
No single non-pharmacological intervention proved most effective; multimodal treatment approaches in primary care are recommended.
Cognitive behavioural approaches benefit women with more severe symptoms; peer support, group therapy, and health visitor training also reduce depressive symptoms.

Br J Gen Pract. 2026 May 14;76(suppl 1):bjgp26X745317. doi: 10.3399/bjgp26X745317. Print 2026 May.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression (PND) affects around one in 10 women in the UK within 12 months of giving birth. Despite current management, suicide remains the leading cause of maternal deaths between 6 weeks and 12 months, accounting for 39% of cases.

AIM: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for managing postnatal depression within a primary care setting.

METHOD: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. English-language papers published between 2006 and 2019 that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Nine papers were deemed eligible and appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). The study included four randomised controlled trials and five qualitative studies.

RESULTS: The studies evaluated interventions including listening visits, cognitive behavioural approaches (CBA) and person-centred approaches, group therapy, peer support, and health visitor training. No single intervention emerged as the most effective. Listening visits were commonly used but insufficient to manage PND alone. CBA showed improvements, particularly for women with more severe symptoms. Peer support and group therapy were associated with improved outcomes, while health visitor training was effective in delivering psychologically informed approaches to reduce depressive symptomology.

CONCLUSION: Integrating non-pharmacological interventions – such as a multimodal treatment approach, peer support, and group therapy programmes in the community, and delivering training packages for health visitors – can effectively manage postnatal depression in primary care and improve current practices.

PMID:42134946 | DOI:10.3399/bjgp26X745317

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