The State Health Department of Kerala is integrating mental health with maternal and child health programme to initiate a primary care screening programme for the early detection and treatment of perinatal depression. This is under the light of the latter emerging as a major cause for concern in the Kerala.
About 7% of the 187 maternal deaths reported in Kerala in 2017/18 were suicides, making it the third cause of maternal mortality in the state after post-partum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia. Under the initiative. training is being provided to stakeholders involved on recognising depressive disorders amongst young mothers and mothers-to-be. A screening will be done once during the first three trimesters and post-partum, in the sixth and 14th week and ninth month. Psycho social counselling will be offered to all eligible couples and followed up post-partum into a year.