Background: To examine the association of postpartum depression (PPD) with maternal suicide in the Taiwanese population. Methods: We examined the medical records of women aged 18–50 years who experienced childbirth and had PPD (the study cohort, n = 2882), who experienced childbirth but did not have PPD (comparison cohort 1, n = 5764), and who neither experienced childbirth nor had PPD (comparison cohort 2, n = 5764) between 2000 and 2015. The patients were followed up until suicide, withdrawal from the National Health Insurance program, or 31 December 2015. Results: The rates of anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as the cumulative risk of suicide, were significantly higher in the study cohort. PPD was significantly correlated with an increased risk of maternal suicide and was associated with a greater risk of developing comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and stroke. The comparison cohorts did not differ significantly in terms of suicide risk. Conclusion: PPD was associated with a significantly higher rate of suicide and a shorter time to suicide after childbirth. Younger age, winter, and subclinical depression and anxiety positively predicted suicide in the study cohort. To prevent maternal suicide, clinicians should be observant of subclinical depression and anxiety symptoms among patients.

Background: This research focused on the association between physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake and the risk of depression in middle aged and older Taiwanese adults. Methods: Data were obtained from the 1999 to 2015 datasets of the Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging (TLSA), and 4,400 participants were included in 1999 (aged ≥ 53years). Descriptive statistics provided all of the basic characteristic variables. A chi-square test analyzed the association between sex, age, years of education, marriage, hypertension, drinking, smoking, and the incidence of depression. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant associations between physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake, and the presence or absence of depression after 16 years. Results: Combined high physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake reduced the risk of depression by 80% (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10–0.45, p = 0.001) compared to low physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake; high physical activity and moderate or low fruit-vegetable intake caused a 70% reduction (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.15–0.63, p = 0.005). High fruit-vegetable intake and low physical activity caused a 65% reduction (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.15–0.63, p = 0.005), compared to low physical activity and low fruit-vegetable intake. High physical activity alone caused a 40% reduction, which is the same as by high fruit-vegetable intake alone. Conclusions: Fruit-vegetable intake combined with physical activity was negatively correlated with the risk of depression. More fruit-vegetable intake and physical activity might reduce this risk. The results highlight the importance of physical activity and fruit-vegetable consumption for middle-aged and older adults to prevent depression.