Nurses, midwives can help treat depression during pregnancy and new motherhood: study – CTV
March 03, 2025
TORONTO — A new study says nurses, midwives and doulas can treat depression and anxiety symptoms experienced during pregnancy and after delivery.
The clinical trial, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests training non-mental health specialists in short-term behavioural therapy can make treatment available for people who don’t have a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Lead author Dr. Daisy Singla from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says depression and anxiety symptoms affect one in five women who are pregnant or postpartum in Canada and the U.S.
The researchers randomly assigned 1,230 participants to eight sessions of behavioural activation therapy delivered by either a mental health specialist or a non-mental health specialist who had received training on the treatment.
The participants were also randomly assigned to receive the therapy — where the provider helps patients to refocus negative thoughts and behaviours into positive actions — either in-person or virtually.
The study found that after three months, participants who received their treatment from trained nurses, midwives and doulas experienced the same improvement in their mental health as those who were treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist — and that in-person and telemedicine care worked equally well.
