Heads Up: This week, on Thursday, March 22 at 2 p.m. Eastern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Maternal-Child Health Programs (AMCHP) will co-sponsor a Live Webcast on Maternal Depression.

The speakers represent two states currently grappling with maternal depression as a public health issue - Diana Cheng, MD, Medical Director of Women's Health for the Maryland Department of Health, and Laura Miller, MD, from the Women's Mental Health Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The webcast is free and open to professionals and advocates working in the field of maternal-child health and mental health. But you do need to register online in advance to get the call-in info and password.

To access the downloadable presentation slides for this webcast, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Postpartum Support International (PSI) has announced that registration is now open for its Annual Conference 2007, set for June 20-23 in Kansas City, Missouri.

This year's theme: "Supporting Families: Fostering Perinatal Emotional Health & Reducing Vulnerability." And the lineup of speakers and workshops looks great!

To download the conference brochure, get more info, or register online, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Sixth Annual Lunafest Film Festival DC (featuring films made by...for...about women), set for Wednesday, April 11 at the Arlington Cinema & Draft House, will raise funds for a very special cause that helps local pregnant women & new moms... and is dear to my own heart.

This year, net proceeds of Lunafest DC go to Postpartum Support International (PSI) - a worldwide network of volunteers, advocates, and professionals who care about the mental health of expectant and new moms.

I volunteer locally with PSI as the DC-Area Coordinator, along with fabulous Arlington mama Adrienne Griffen, who is the Virginia Coordinator. Together, Adrienne and I lead the free DC Peer Support Group, which meets two evenings each month in the Palisades neighborhood of DC and is geared toward women experiencing depression, anxiety, or stress before or after having a baby. (Adrienne also leads a daytime Peer Support Group that meets twice a month in Arlington, and there are additional groups in Loudon County and Fairfax, VA.)

The need is almost overwhelming in the DC area for information, emotional support, and simple empathy and kindness. There are many women reaching out for help each day, and sadly, many more who can't or don't. Those of us doing PSI's work in the Washington area are volunteering our time. But fundraisers like Lunafest can offset costs associated with designing and copying brochures that can be distributed to women at doctor's offices, special events, and moms' club, letting them know that local help IS available.

I hope my DC-area readers will turn out for this fun "girls' night out" at Lunafest, to watch some cool independent films and contribute to a worthy cause. Tix are $10 at the door. The evening will start at 6 p.m. with live jazz music and wine tasting, and the movies start at 7:30.

Many thanks to local mama and Stroller Strides instructor Jennifer Lungren for putting this film festival together - and for taking the initiative to contribute to PSI's community service. For more info about Lunafest, contact Jennifer at jlungren (at) strollerstrides (dot) net. For more about Lunafest, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (3)

U.K. research scientist Vivette Glover (Imperial College, London) addressed the Royal Society of Medicine's Conference on Reproductive Psychiatry this week, calling for more focus on the way maternal stress during pregnancy impacts the developing fetus.

Glover cited research suggesting that maternal stress during pregnancy may "predispose babies to emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems in later life," stating, "We need to recognize stress early in prgnancy and we need to provide greater help for reach woman affected by it."

For more on Glover's findings and the latest research on fetal affects of maternal stress, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Postpartum Support International (PSI) website has a cool new feature under development! Each state support page now has a button announcing training opportunities and other events of interest to professionals, volunteers, and advocates working in the field of maternal mental health.

This new feature is just getting launched, but should be fully functional soon! To check out the state support pages, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

More on Rosie O'Donnell's public discussion of her struggle with depression:

Apparently, this Friday's topic on Rosie's daytime talk show, "The View," will be women and depression, with guest co-host Linda Dano, the well-known soap opera actress who is a depression survivor-turned-advocate. Read more about Rosie's experiences in this Associated Press story.

Posted by Sarah M. at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mother-of-three Rosie O'Donnell is very open about her longtime experience of depressive illness. Click here to read People magazine's coverage.

As for the attention-grabbing headline about "hanging upside down for depression"... I'm at a loss. Are we talking about zero-gravity therapy (also used in yoga headstands and shoulder stands, which Rosie mentions as part of her preventive routine)?

Posted by Sarah M. at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics finds that maternal depression is "prevalent", affecting approximately 12 percent of mothers in their sample (which included over 200 families whose children are patients at a pediatric practice).

Their recommendation for pediatricians and pediatric nurses, who are on the front lines, as among the first health professionals with the opportunity to recognize and refer parents who are suffering: "A very brief screen can identify reasonably those who can benefit from additional evaluation and possible treatment," noting that being proactive in this effort will "benefit mothers, families, and children."

The simple, quick-to-implement screening tools used by pediatricians in this study? Including 2 questions about emotional/mental health on the standard new-patient questionnaire, and utilizing the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI).

Posted by Sarah M. at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just published at People magazine's website: A new article in which actress, PPD survivor, and women's health advocate Brooke Shields is quoted as offering her personal support to pop singer Britney Spears (whom the tabloids have speculated is suffering from severe postpartum depression).

To read the story, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

E! News Online has interviewed author Sandra Poulin on the tabloidesque speculation about Britney Spears' breakdown and postpartum depression (PPD).

For the story, click here.

Posted by Sarah M. at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)