Follow Up To Congressional Briefing on Maternal Mental Health and Suicide (June 8, 2021)

VIRTUAL CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING

Maternal Mental Health and Suicide:

Addressing the Most Common Complications

of Pregnancy and Childbirth

Thank you to everyone who registered for or joined the

Congressional Briefing on Maternal Mental Health and Suicide.

This email provides follow-up information

and calls to action.

FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION

RECORDING AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

The recording for the presentation is available HERE.

The PowerPoint for the presentation is available HERE.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

To what degree are new fathers affected by mental illness in first year after birth?

Approximately 10% of new fathers are affected by postpartum depression and related mental health issues in the first year postpartum. In June, MMHLA will be providing a Fact Sheet and Newsletter on "Dads & Depression" that will include facts and figures about this issue, along with resources for dads and ongoing research opportunities.

What screening tool should be used to screen for perinatal depression and/or anxiety?

Several screening tools are appropriate to use when screening for perinatal depression and/or anxiety, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), which is widely used for several reasons: it is free, short (10 questions), easy to score, assesses for both depression and anxiety, asks about suicidality, is validated for use both during pregnancy and postpartum, is validated for screening both mothers and fathers, and is available in many languages.

The PHQ9 (for depression) and the GAD-7 (for anxiety) are also often used.

Where can I find more information about Perinatal Psychiatry Programs including MCPAP for Moms and NC Maternal Mental Health Matters?

More information about Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs is available HERE. Here are links for MCPAP for Moms and NC Maternal Mental Health Matters. MMHLA also has a short Fact Sheet on Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs.

Where can I find more information about intensive treatment programs, including in-patient psychiatry programs, for women experiencing anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum?

Information about inpatient programs and intensive outpatient programs in the United States that address perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can be found HERE.

CALL TO ACTION

Ask Members of Congress to take the following actions:

1.Co-sponsor the Moms MATTER Act (H.R. 909 / S.484)

2.Support funding for programs to address maternal mental health:

$2 million for a NEW maternal mental health hotline
$5 million for grants to states to create maternal mental health programs

Download MMHLA's Fact Sheet with information about these programs.

PARTNERS