Major depressive disorder affects nearly one in seven women in South Asia during pregnancy and the year following childbirth — more than double the global average — according to the largest study of its
kind ever conducted, published this week in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Researchers from the University of Queensland analysed data from 780 studies covering more than two million women and girls across 90 countries, drawing on literature published between 1980 and October 2025. The study, a systematic review and meta-regression, tracked major depressive disorder (MDD) — a clinically diagnosed condition distinct from milder “baby blues” — across the entire peripartum window, from conception through twelve months after delivery, among women and girls aged 10 to 59 years.
The numbers
Globally, while major depression affects around 4.3 per cent of women in the general population, the burden rises sharply around childbirth. The overall prevalence of MDD was 6.2 per cent (95 per cent UI 5.9–6.6) at any point in time during pregnancy and 6.8 per cent (6.4–7.1) at any point in time during the postpartum year.
The regional picture is stark. Prevalence was highest in southern sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from 15.6 per cent (12.7–19.1) during pregnancy to 16.6 per cent (13.5–20.3) during the postpartum year; and in South Asia, ranging from 13.7 per cent (12.4–15.2) during pregnancy to 14.6 per cent (13.1–16.1) during the postpartum year. The prevalence was lowest in high-income Asia Pacific, ranging from 3.1 per cent (2.5–3.7) during pregnancy to 3.3 per cent (2.8–3.9) during the postpartum year.
South Asia’s figure is more than twice the global average and nearly four times that of high-income Asia-Pacific countries, underscoring a severe regional disparity that researchers say demands immediate policy attention.
The findings emphasise the need for increased integration of screening, prevention, and treatment of MDD during the peripartum period into existing models of care.
“The prevalence of MDD was elevated during the entire peripartum period, and highest 2 weeks after giving birth. Our findings emphasise the need for increased integration of screening, prevention, and treatment of MDD during the peripartum period into existing models of care,” concluded the study.
India’s wake-up call
According to Dr Jothi Neeraja, managing director of mental health hospital chain, Maarga Mind Care, the findings mirror the ground reality. “This timely Lancet Psychiatry study reinforces what we are seeing every day in India — peripartum depression is not a rare issue, but a widespread public-health concern affecting a large proportion of women around childbirth. The global evidence of the steep rise in depression rates in the weeks after delivery is similar to Indian data, where perinatal depression prevalence can range between 15 per cent – 40 per cent, especially in low-resource and rural settings.”
Dr Samir Parikh, chairperson of the Fortis National Mental Health Program and head of mental health chain Adayu, explained that the study is essentially a meta-analysis. “The fact is that depression is the most prevalent illness globally. The peripartum period has always been seen as a phase during which a significant proportion of the population experiences depressive features. This study reaffirms what mental health professionals have long known — that there needs to be an integrated approach to perinatal care.”
Calling for structural change, Neeraja added: “For India, this study is a wake-up call to integrate routine mental-health screening into antenatal and postnatal care, rather than treating maternal mental health as a separate service. India needs trained nurses, mid-level providers, and community health workers to identify distress early, reduce stigma, and connect women to the right care and spread awareness of the importance of mental health care during this period.”
Echoing similar thoughts, Parikh pointed out that Indian hospitals need to integrate mental health into all therapeutic categories and not just gynaecology or childbirth.
“Why only perinatal? Most tertiary care areas — cardiac, diabetes, trauma, cancer — require integrated mental health programmes. From screening to early intervention, education, and coordinated care, everything needs to work collaboratively. Patients and families will benefit when health is seen as a whole, and not when it is divided into parts. We need to see the human being as a whole.”
