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.
Mark your calendar now, fellow advocates, volunteers, and clinicians:
Postpartum Support International (PSI) of Washington's 2007 Conference, Beyond the Birth: Current Trends in Treating Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders, is set for September 21, 2007 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.
The conference is designed to educate professionals in the birthing community, such as therapists, physicians, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, childbirth educators, and others who work with pregnant and postpartum women.
Specific details on times, speakers, and registration will be available in the next few months at the website: www.ppmdsupport.com.
Fabulous West Coast advocate, postpartum doula, and volunteer PSI coordinator Heidi Koss-Nobel is leading a one-day PPMD (postpartum mood disorder) workshop on Monday, March 26 at the Seattle Midwifery School in Washington State.
In addition to Heidi, speakers are Dr. Margie Bone, a psychiatrist in private practice, and Rebecca Brabo Silva, a psychotherapist in private practice.
For more details, click here.
The workshop is aimed at healthcare providers, and CEUs will be available. Tuition is $125 and space is limited, so you must register in advance by contacting the Seattle Midwifery School directly: 800.747.9433 or 206.322.8834.
This from the Madison, Wisconsin Capital Times:
"Radio ads target Latino mothers: Focus is postpartum depression"
The very first PMD (perinatal mood disorder) conference in West Virginia is set for April 18-29 at the Chief Logan Conference Center in Mingo County.
Sponsored by Mingo County Partners in Prevention, this two-day conference will include workshops on identification, intervention, support and prevention of PPD (postpartum depression) and other PMDs.
Birdie Meyer of Postpartum Support International (PSI) will be a featured speaker, and the new PSI coordinator volunteer for West Virginia, Garnet Fitchpatrick, who is on the staff at ABLE Families, has been instrumental in making this event happen.
Free CEUs will be available to professionals in the field. For more info or to register, send email to Garnet Fitchpatrick at: gfitchpatrick (at) ablefamilies (dot) org.
Mother-advocate Katherine Stone, blogger at Postpartum Progress, has posted an important news item for New York: State Senator Morahan is backing legislation that mandates screening for all new mothers, and expanded public education campaigns on PPD.
This would be a big step forward for women and families in the state... So, New Yorkers, let Morahan and the other members of the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities hear from you with your strong voice of support!
New Jersey's groundbreaking, progressive legislation requiring that all new mothers be screened for postpartum depression (PPD) went into effect on Tuesday.
Three cheers for Jersey! This is a model initiative that other states can, should, MUST adapt and adopt as their own. It also, let us hope, foreshadows the long-overdue federal legislation that will address this health crisis as something just as real, just as important, as prematurity, c-section rates, and HIV.
The University of Illiinois, Chicago (UIC) has used an HRSA grant to create a statewide program that offers services to healthcare providers who work with women and families:
1) Perinatal Consultation Service : A service for healthcare providers with questions related to the diagnosis and treatment of perinatal depression. Consultants are psychiatrists in the Women's Mental Health Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago who are experts in perinatal depression. This service is free of charge and can be accessed by calling 1.800.573-6121, or by completing and submitting this form.
2) Perinatal Depression Workshops: The UIC Perinatal Depression Awareness Team offers comprehensive training workshops on how to recognize, assess, screen, and treat peripartum depression.
3) On-Site Screening and Assessment Consultation: The Peripartum Depression Awareness Team assists providers in setting up of screening and assessment programs for peripartum depression at their clinic sites. The team also provides screening and assessment tools.
Women who live in the state of Illinois should know that they have access to a free, 24-hour, confidential HOTLINE where they can get information and help in finding a therapist or support group.
Illinois women experiencing depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy or after having a baby should call 1.866.ENH.MOMS (1.866.364.6667).
For more information about this statewide support program, which is managed by Evanston Northwest Healthcare, click here.
Women who live in the state of Illinois should know that they have access to a free, 24-hour, confidential HOTLINE where they can get information and help in finding a therapist or support group.
Illinois women experiencing depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy or after having a baby should call 1.866.ENH.MOMS (1.866.364.6667).
For more information about this statewide support program, which is managed by Evanston Northwest Healthcare, click here.
Good news for Michigan nonprofit organizations working on postpartum depression (PPD) education and referrals.
The state's Blue Cross/Blue Shield is accepting applicants for grant funding, with awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to expand new and existing programs. Since 2001, the company has awarded annual grants to spur early detection and treatment of depression among older adults, teens and new mothers. In 2005, 17 ongoing grants were awarded and are expected to help up to 15,000 Michigan residents.
The deadline to apply for a grant is right around the corner - August 4, 2006.
For more about this opportunity, read the full press release here. To submit your grant proposal, click here.
Cheers for Dr. David Rubinow and the University of North Carolina Hospitals for creating a new clinic specializing in women's mood disorders, including postpartum depression and severe premenstrual syndrome.
In a bold move, Dr. Rubinow has moved care for such disorders out of the hospital's Ob/Gyn deparment and into the department of psychiatry, noting the tendency toward missing or misdiagnosing such problems by Ob/Gyn care providers.
Here's an excerpt from the Associated Press story about the UNC Hospitals change:
Rubinow and others who treat hormone-linked mood disorders say the conditions remain under-recognized and undertreated, which can lead to potentially devastating effects. That, they said, is despite broader awareness among both patients and physicians.
Some patients and doctors consider menopause a natural process that should not require medical treatment. Such disorders are often trivialized or not recognized as severe, Rubinow said.
"I think it does an enormous disservice to women to say that those who become depressed ... should simply learn to live with it," he said. "It's a barbaric notion to suggest that people should not get treatment. It's unconscionably stupid."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has published a heart-wrenching, important story on the Soukakos family and the personal tragedy that led to Washington State's new Postpartum Depression Public Awareness Campaign.
To read "Grief Becomes a Force for Change," click here.
To read the original reporting on this story from January 2003, "Severe Postpartum Depression Leaves Them Without Wife & Mother," click here.
To thank Post-Intelligencer reporter Carol Smith for her informed and sensitive coverage of this issue, drop her a line: carolsmith (at) seattlepi (dot) com.
Arizona's public awareness work this month has been impressive. They're really on the right track!
The state register includes the following notice:
"WHEREAS up to 80% of new mothers experience changes in their emotional health following childbirth, regardless of race, age, culture or socioeconomic status. 15-20% experience more severe symptoms, collectively known as Postpartum Mood Disorders; and
WHEREAS, in 2003 there were 90,783 live births in the state of Arizona, resulting in an estimated 13,617-18,156 mothers who struggled with severe postpartum emotional symptoms in Arizona alone. Postpartum Mood Disorders (PPMDs) have been called “The most significant complication associated with childbirth." PPMDs interfere with mother-infant bonding and disrupt the entire family unit; and
WHEREAS, there are five forms of Postpartum Mood Disorders, including the milder "baby blues" and more severe Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Panic Disorder, and Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The most severe disorder, Postpartum Psychosis, is a life-threatening mental illness associated with a 10% suicide/infanticide rate; and
WHEREAS, with proper awareness, education, intervention, and resources, Postpartum Mood Disorders are nearly 100% treatable; and
WHEREAS, increasing public awareness among all Arizona families on the prevalence, identification and treatment of Postpartum Mood Disorders has significant potential to save lives and prevent the unnecessary suffering experienced by so many families following childbirth;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Janet Napolitano, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim May, 2006 as POSTPARTUM MOOD DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH."
Not only has the guv declared May "Postpartum Mood Disorders Awareness Month," but the state's press outlets are also telling the stories of local women who have suffered - and recovered - from perinatal mood disorders, including PPD.
At the same time, the standard of care for pregnant and postpartum women in Arizona is improving. Last week, one Arizona hospital unveiled a new and progressive program for its obstetric patients. The Louisa Kellam Center for Women's Health Nesting Place, at Del E. Webb Memorial Hospital in the West Valley, launched a screening program for PPD on May 18. All women who give birth in the Nesting Place suites will be screened for signs of postpartum depression, combined with an effort to raise awareness about postpartum mood disorders with the woman's spouse/partner and other family members. The straightforward survey includes 10 questions and takes adds a mere 5-10 minutes to the "to do" list for health care providers and birthing women. New moms who score above a certain number on the survey will be referred for professional help.
"Our committee has been working on this for about six months now,” Melinda Roberts, a registered nurse at the Nesting Place, told a reporter for Independent Newspapers. “Due to the overwhelming number of women who face this problem, we felt the need is there for a screening program. PPD is totally treatable. So every woman, prior to their discharge from this facility, will be surveyed with questions dealing with feelings, thoughts, and actions that might indicate PPD."
All around, good news for Arizona women and their babies!
New news out of Seattle... the state of Washington has officially launched its new "Speak Up When You're Down" PPD public awareness campaign, led by the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (WCPCAN).
The estimated number of Washington state women who suffer some form of postpartum mood disorder each year ranges from 8,000 (on the extra-conservative side) to as many as 16,000.
The campaign centers around three messages: PPD is real, help is available, and talking about how you feel is the first step. The campaign will focus on providing basic information about the signs and symptoms of postpartum mood disorders, sharing info with the public primarily through its website and free hotline.
The campaign's toll-free HOTLINE (for Washington state residents) - 1.888.404.7763 - is operated by PSI of Washington, which is partnering in support of the statewide initiative.
Here's an excerpt from the campaign press release:
``Washington State's commitment to raising awareness about PPD was born out of one family's tragedy,'' Sharp notes, referring to Thomas Soukakos, who led a grassroots effort to pass the 2005 law authorizing the campaign. Soukakos, owner of the popular Vios Cafe in Seattle, took up the cause after losing his wife to an extreme case of PPD in 2003. Hundreds of mostly female advocates across the state supported him.
The result was passage of a bill during the 2005 legislative session mandating a statewide awareness campaign on PPD. Washington is one of a handful of states that have taken action on the issue.
``Thankfully, most women who have PPD do not experience the extreme condition Thomas' wife faced,'' notes [Joan] Sharp [director of WCPCAN]. ``But no matter how serious a form it takes, the challenges for women and their families are significant. The information being shared through the campaign will make a positive difference for thousands of families in Washington who otherwise would have struggled in silence without the knowledge or resources that will help them deal with this very prevalent condition.''
I never thought I'd say such a thing, but there it is! I have a newfound love for NJ.
And not just because they are the first state in the nation to pass legislation mandating that medical providers and hospitals educate and screen all women for postpartum depression as part of basic perinatal care.
To coincide with the passage of this legislation, the state has also launched a new PPD public education and advocacy campaign, making the State of New Jersey a model for what can and should be done for pregnant women and new mothers throughout the nation. By reaching out to - and providing helpful resources for - women from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the health care professionals who care for them, and the state policy-makers whose decisions impact them, Jersey gets my vote for PPD Hero of the Year.
Under the tagline "Speak Up When You're Down: Recognizing Postpartum Depression," this initiative has a broad reach through a beautiful and easy-to-navigate website, www.njspeakup.gov. There you'll find information, links, and downloadable educational materials divided by audience - one section for women and families, and another for health care professionals. And much of the information is just as useful and relevant to non-New Jersey residents as it is to those who live and work there.
For women and families, you'll find a clear and current primer on what postpartum depression (PPD) is, what it isn't, and how it can be treated. There are answers to women's "frequently asked questions," a video featuring PPD survivor Mary Jo Codey (NJ First Lady), as well as a first-person article written by one New Jersey mother who successfully recovered from PPD. A clear listing of the various types of health care providers who can help women suffering from perinatal mood disorders, with details about how to choose the right provider, helps readers take the next step. Best of all, these resources are available in both English and Spanish!
For health care providers and other professionals who work with women, the site offers free, downloadable patient brochures and posters - again, available in both English and Spanish. Professionals should also take advantage of the Educational Webinar, which covers the prevalence of perinatal mood disorders, methods for screening patients, and available treatments. A helpful article on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and its use as a screening tool is also available, plus an extensive FAQ just for professionals. For those working within the state of New Jersey, a calendar keeps you in touch with PPD-related events.
Finally, New Jersey has managed to launch and maintain a 24/7 PPD Helpline (for New Jersey residents only, please). Women or their loved ones can call any time of the day or night for empathic support, information, and referral to care providers in their local community. Jersey's PPD Helpline number is: 1.800.328.3838.
NJ First Lady Mary Jo Codey and her husband Richard have been tireless advocates for PPD awareness, education, and policy reform, both in their state and in national forums. They were instrumental in the passage of the new state legislation on PPD educatoin and screening. This bill is the first of its kind, setting a strong precedent for other states to follow. The Codeys also stand behind the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act - a brave and important piece of federal legislation that is currently on its THIRD TRY in the U.S. Congress.
First, New Jersey. Next, every other state in the union! We can and must do it.
