Health visitors help mothers keep baby blues at bay

London, Aug 19:A research shows that health visitors can help new mothers keep baby blues at bay.

One in five new mothers fall prey to sadness, loss of appetite and feeling of worthlessness after their baby's birth, which lasts for more than a year in severe cases.

But if such women are assigned a health visitor, who are trained to spot its symptoms, they are 30 percent less likely to develop the post-natal depression, reports the Daily Mail.

Researchers at the University of Leicester compared more than 2,000 new mothers over an 18-month period.

Terry Brugha from the University of Leicester's Clinical Division of Psychiatry, who led the study, said: "GPs (general practitioners) only spend between five and 10 minutes with these women. Health visitors are with them much longer and this training gives them extra skills to spot depression."