A research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center is about to begin a three-year study to determine more effective treatment plans for impoverished women experiencing depression.
Study co-leader Dr. Ellen Poleshuck, associate professor of Psychiatry, says that population of women often doesn't have good access to traditional treatment due to barriers that include homelessness, lack of transportation, and domestic violence. Dr. Poleshuck says one in five economically disadvantaged women are at risk for depression at any given time, as opposed to a general population of women, whose depression risk is one in five over a lifetime.
Depression also puts pregnant women at risk for pre-term delivery. "We also know that moms who are depressed have more difficulty connecting with their babies and being attentive, responsive moms because they are having such a difficult time focusing and managing themselves," said Dr. Poleshuck
The study, funded by the Patient Outcome Research Institute, will be seeking volunteers within the next several months.