Shifting the paradigm in how we assess and treat perinatal psychopathology

Both syndromic and subsyndromal episodes of psychiatric disorders are common during and after pregnancy and are associated with adverse consequences for the mother and her baby. Despite remarkable opportunities for the detection of at-risk women, the prevention and treatment of peripartum recurrences of psychiatric disorders remain a challenge for physicians, and allied professionals This brief report discusses the importance of subsyndromal symptoms and offers suggestions to improve the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of perinatal psychiatric disorders.