ReviewThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2017
Diagnosis and management of perinatal depression and anxiety in general practice: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.
Review in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mapping Evidence and Constructing an Analytic Framework: An Umbrella Review Summarizing Primary Care Family Physicians' Experiences With Clinical Integration.Annals of family medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to GP-patient communication about emotional concerns in UK primary care: a systematic review.Family practice · 2020Pooled it
- Article
- Healthcare professionals' views on barriers, facilitators and optimisation of care for perinatal anxiety: a qualitative investigation.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- General practitioners' barriers to cross-sectoral collaboration on pregnant women with vulnerabilities: a cross-sectional survey in Danish general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Current policy and practice for the identification, management, and treatment of postpartum anxiety in the United Kingdom: a focus group study.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Barriers to assessing vulnerability in pregnant women. A cross-sectional survey in Danish general practice.Family practice · 2024Article
- Advancing Global Health Through Primary Care Physician Education on Suicide Prevention.Annals of global health · 2024Review
- General practitioner perceptions and experiences of managing perinatal mental health: a scoping review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes Following Postnatal SSRI Treatment.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Challenges in the cross-sectoral collaboration on vulnerable pregnant women: a qualitative study among Danish general practitioners.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Assessing and addressing vulnerability in pregnancy: General practitioners perceived barriers and facilitators - a qualitative interview study.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Tokophobia and Anxiety in Pregnant Women during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Poland-A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- "Nobody Listened". Mothers' Experiences and Needs Regarding Professional Support Prior to Their Admission to an Infant Mental Health Day Clinic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- General practitioners' perceived indicators of vulnerability in pregnancy- A qualitative interview study.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Consequences of a Diagnostic Label: A Systematic Scoping Review and Thematic Framework.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Patient decision aids for antidepressant use in pregnancy: a pilot randomised controlled trial in the UK.BJGP open · 2019Article
- Irish general practitioners' view of perinatal mental health in general practice: a qualitative study.BMC family practice · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUp to 20% of women experience anxiety and depression during the perinatal period. In the UK, management of perinatal mental health falls under the remit of GPs.
aimThis review aimed at synthesising the available information from qualitative studies on GPs' attitudes, recognition, and management of perinatal anxiety and depression. DESIGN AND
settingMeta-synthesis of the available published qualitative evidence on GPs' recognition and management of perinatal anxiety and depression.
methodA systematic search was conducted on Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and grey literature was searched using Google, Google Scholar, and British Library EThOS. Papers and reports were eligible for inclusion if they reported qualitatively on GPs' diagnosis or treatment of perinatal anxiety or depression. The synthesis was constructed using meta-ethnography.
resultsFive themes were established from five eligible papers: labels: diagnosing depression; clinical judgement versus guidelines; care and management; use of medication; and isolation: the role of other professionals. GPs considered perinatal depression to be a psychosocial phenomenon, and were reluctant to label disorders and medicalise distress. GPs relied on their own clinical judgement more than guidelines. They reported helping patients make informed choices about treatment, and inviting them back regularly for GP visits. GPs sometimes felt isolated when dealing with perinatal mental health issues.
conclusionGPs often do not have timely access to appropriate psychological therapies and use several strategies to mitigate this shortfall. Training must focus on these issues and must be evaluated to consider whether this makes a difference to outcomes for patients.
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