Women with perinatal depression are at higher risk of suicidal behaviour years after childbirth

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-01-09 03:00

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***This media release contains information some readers may find distressing as it refers to data about mental health, suicide and self-harm. If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. ***

Women who are diagnosed with perinatal depression during pregnancy or after childbirth are at higher risk of suicidal behaviour, and this risk continues for many years after the birth of their child, according to international research. The team looked at the rate of attempted and completed suicide among nearly 90,000 women diagnosed with perinatal depression and compared this with over 850,000 women of similar demographics without perinatal depression diagnoses. The researchers say those with a perinatal depression diagnosis had a three times higher risk of suicidal behaviour, with the risk most elevated during the first year after diagnosis, and still present 18 years later.