Person-Centered Language & Major Depressive Disorder with Peripartum Onset: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends screening women for Major Depressive Disorder with Perinatal Onset (MDD-PPO) at least once during the perinatal period. However, under-diagnosis, inadequate referral mechanisms, and lack of treatment capacity can result in untreated Major Depressive Disorder with Peripartum Onset (MDD-PPO). A potential strategy for overcoming systemic barriers preventing the screening and treatment for MDD-PPO includes implementing person-centered language (PCL). Therefore, our primary objective is to quantify adherence to PCL guidelines among the peer-reviewed articles pertaining to MDD-PPO.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included a systematic search of PubMed for MDD-PPO-related articles from January 1, 2014, to March 7, 2021. Journals with at least 20 MMD-PPO-related articles with human subjects were included. Search returns were then randomized, and 500 articles were examined for inclusion of pre-specified, non-PCL terminology.

Results: From the screening, 178 articles were included and searched for non-PCL terminology. We found that 50.56% (90/178) publications were PCL adherent. The most commonly used non-PCL labels were “depressed,” found in 30.3% (54/178) of articles, followed by “suffer” found in 19.10% (34/178), “psycho/psychotic” found in 10.11% (18/178), and “blue” found in 8.99% (16/178) of the included articles.

Conclusions: Our study found that nearly half of the scientific literature on MDD-PPO was not adherent to PCL guidelines. PCL is viewed positively by patients, may lead to better patient-provider relationships, and is recommended by the AMA and APA. Thus, PCL should be adhered to by authors of MDD-PPO research. By implementing PCL requirements, journals will aid in reducing stigma; therefore, assisting to overcome barriers in screening and treatment for women with MDD-PPO.