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Globe reports on postpartum depression research

UMass Chan study highlighted; trial participant tells her story

An Oct. 21 Boston Globe story about postpartum depression quotes Worcester mother of two Nicole Caliguiri who, after suffering from the disorder with her first child, participated in a clinical trial at UMass Medical School that helped her stave off a relapse after the birth of her second child.

“I never wanted to feel how I felt before I was treated for [postpartum depression] again,” Caliguiri told the Globe.

The study, for which UMMS neuroscientist and psychiatrist Kristina Deligiannidis, MD, was awarded a highly competitive five-year, nearly $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, is using hormone and brain imaging investigations to learn why women develop postpartum depression.

“The ultimate goal of this research is to identify biological risk factors that put women at an increased chance of developing the disorder,” said Dr. Deligiannidis, assistant professor of psychiatry. “With early identification, we can develop therapeutic interventions that can help prevent postpartum depression before it begins.”

Read the full Globe story here, and view the video below to learn more about the study from Caliguiri and Deligiannidis.