The report Perinatal depression: data from the 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey showed one in 10 mothers of children aged 24 months or less were diagnosed with perinatal depression, which was depression diagnosed from pregnancy until the child’s first birthday.

Location was a factor affecting the rate of perinatal depression, with the report finding mothers who lived in major cities and remote or very remote areas reported slightly lower rates of perinatal depression than those from inner and outer regional centres.

Using the Australian Standard Geographical Classification for Remoteness Area, centres such as Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong fall into the major city category, while centres such as Bourke, Nyngan and Cobar would fall into the remote category.

According to the report, the prevalence of perinatal depression for women in major cities was 9.7 per cent, and in remote and very remote areas it was 9.8 per cent.

This compared with 10.7 per cent for inner regional areas (the category that includes Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst) and 11.9 per cent for outer regional areas (the category that includes Wellington, Narromine, Gilgandra and Warren). Perinatal depression was more commonly reported among mothers who were aged under 25, were smokers, came from lower-income households, spoke English at home, were overweight or obese and had an emergency caesarean section. It was less commonly reported among mothers with higher levels of education, who were working at the time of the survey and who primarily spoke a language other than English at home.

The report’s authors pointed out that most mothers suffering from perinatal depression sought treatment from their general practitioner and support from family and friends.