Prenatal Depression

22 November 2011

Question No. 30

Name of person: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah

Question

To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current percentage of pregnant women in Singapore who suffer from prenatal depression; (b) in comparison with the past 10 years, what has been the trend for cases of prenatal depression; and (c) whether the Ministry will allow pregnant mothers to use their baby bonus to fund prenatal medical checkups and treatment.

Answer

1. Mental health conditions can affect different segments of the population including pregnant women. A study¹ conducted at the National University Hospital in 2003 showed that the prevalence of major depressive disorders was 4.3% in both prenatal and postnatal women. Initiatives targeted at early intervention of women who may be at risk of prenatal and postnatal depression were incorporated in the National Mental Health Blueprint. Launched in 2007, the Blueprint aims to promote mental health, prevent the development of mental health problems, as well as reduce the impact of mental disorders. The mental health initiatives for pregnant women consist of mental health teams integrating into routine prenatal and postnatal care of women seen at KKH and NUH to conduct screening and intervention for mental health conditions.

2. Between 2007 and March 2011, the NUH programme screened 11368 women for prenatal depression and 2474 women for postnatal depression. Major depression was diagnosed in 3.0% and 3.8% of women screened for the prenatal and postnatal group, respectively. The mental health professionals provide individualised care and support for these patients and also those women screened to have increased risk of mental health conditions. There is currently no national data on trends in prenatal and postnatal depression.

3. The Baby Bonus Scheme comprises both the Baby Bonus cash gift and the Child Development Account (CDA), and is extended to eligible parents after the birth of their child to help parents lighten the costs of raising children. The cash gift is intended to help defray child-related expenses, while the CDA is meant to support parents in meeting the developmental needs of their children. CDA funds can be used for fees at approved institutions, which include child care, kindergartens and healthcare providers.

4. The Government is committed to enhancing the pro-family environment, and providing parents with broad-based support. Thus, while the Baby Bonus scheme helps parents with the post-delivery costs of child-raising, the Medisave Maternity Package (MMP) helps parents with delivery and pre-delivery expenses.

5. Since Aug 2004, the Medisave Maternity Package allows parents to claim an additional $450 on top of the existing Medisave limits for hospitalisation and procedure claims for delivery, to help cover pre-delivery expenses such as consultations, investigations or medications at both public and private hospitals. We will monitor and review the Medisave Maternity Package and where appropriate, explore how to help mothers-to-be to pay for expenses that they may incur during their pregnancy.

6. MOH is also working with the Health Promotion Board on several projects to increase public awareness on prenatal and postnatal depression. I would like to reassure Dr Lee that we remain committed to promoting mental well-being of pregnant women and mothers.

Footnotes

¹ Chee,C.Y.I.,Lee,D.T.S.,Chong,Y.S.,Tan,L.K.,Ng,T.P.,&Fones,C.S.L..(2005).Confinement and other psychosocial factors in perinatal depression: a transcultural study in Singapore. Journal of Affective Disorders, 89(1-3), 157-166.