Recommendations for health and social care professionals

This section provides the recommendations for health and social care professionals from SIGN 169: Perinatal mental health conditions.(2023)

It covers recommendations on screening and treatment for women/birthing parents at risk of, or experiencing, a mental health condition during or in the 12-month period after pregnancy. It covers women/birthing parents with a history of, or experiencing one, or more of the following:

• anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), psychological birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• mood disorders, including depression and bipolar affective disorder
• postpartum psychosis and management of psychosis in the perinatal period
• borderline personality disorder.

Recommendations from SIGN are highlighted in green boxes with the following symbols:

evidence-based recommendations (EBR) – a recommendation formulated after a systematic review of the evidence.

consensus-based recommendation (CBR) – a recommendation formulated in the absence of quality evidence.

- suggestions for good practice based on clinical experience.