The Senate approved today (7) a bill (PL) that includes, in prenatal health care, the assessment of the presence of symptoms of depression in pregnant and postpartum women. The proposal determines that screening for depressive symptoms should preferably be done in the first and third trimester of pregnancy. The text is authored in the Chamber and returns there after undergoing alterations in the Senate.
According to the project, once the disease is identified, pregnant women should be immediately referred for follow-up by a psychologist or psychiatrist. The PL also mandates that screening for depressive symptoms continue during the postpartum and infant care period.
This initial screening proposed in the PL will be based on a standardized questionnaire and can be performed by professionals responsible for prenatal care and postpartum consultations. Screening should be able to indicate the need for referral to a mental health professional, preferably trained in perinatal mental health.
The bill’s rapporteur in the Senate, Leia Barros (PDT-DF), made changes to the text, which determined her return to the Chamber, which will have the last word. Leila added a device to the project so that, regardless of the presence of depressive symptoms, the pregnant woman in whose unborn child an anomaly has been identified is promptly referred for evaluation. The same would apply to the mother whose newborn has a disability, a rare or chronic disease.
* With information from the Senate Agency
