With so many mothers suffering from postnatal depression and anxiety, why does perinatal mental health not receive enough attention?
According to information from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, one in seven new mothers in Utah report symptoms of perinatal mental health issues. The National Institutes of Health reports that the national prevalence rate is 12.5 percent. Experts at the University of Utah Health School believe that number is even higher.
Recognizing the need for enhanced care
Gwen Latindres, a certified nurse-midwife and associate dean for academic programs at the University of Utah College of Nursing, realized early in her career that maternal mental health wasn’t getting enough attention. She knew that early, simple interventions could make a big difference. But resources were hard to find and wait times for mental health professionals were long. She vowed to give mothers a voice.
Among the challenges Latindres identified are cultural stigmas about the miracle of childbirth, a tendency to suffer in silence, and a lack of recognition that it is a real illness.
Awareness of and access to perinatal mental health care (particularly problematic for rural residents) contributes to this problem. Many mothers feel unable to look after themselves. Rural mothers, in particular, face further challenges due to a shortage of local mental health care providers.
In a feature called “For a Mother’s Love” published by the University of Utah Health, in partnership with the Emily Effect Foundation, mothers across Utah talk about the debilitating symptoms and complex emotions caused by this often-silenced disease. Light letters.
What happens when a new mom is hospitalized?
Gwen Latendresse, associate dean for academic programs, College of Nursing, University of Utah
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Huntsman Mental Health Institute recognizes the need for family bonding and supports inpatients with co-occurring postpartum anxiety and depression. Hales, a survivor of postpartum anxiety herself, leads a team of social workers and clinical nurse educators to support the care of postpartum patients. With increased access to family counseling rooms, rocking chairs, safe sleep spaces for mothers to bond and breastfeed, and breast milk pumps and storage, patients are experiencing more positive outcomes.
For people with treatment-resistant depression, or depression that doesn’t improve with medication or psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are effective and safe treatment options that can significantly relieve symptoms.
How do we support parents?
Dedicated experts like Latindres, Jamie Hales, clinical manager at Huntsman Mental Health Institute and board co-chair of Postpartum Support International Utah (PSI Utah), and Theresa Lopez, director of behavioral health integration at Huntsman Mental Health Institute, along with their colleagues across the state, have worked tirelessly to address this disparity and build a safety net for the more than 14 percent of struggling postpartum mothers and more than 10 percent of struggling postpartum fathers by educating, treating, and proactively addressing key aspects of postpartum anxiety and depression.
Latindres played a key role in designing and implementing a perinatal mental health screening tool that is used routinely by University of Utah health care providers. Screening for depression and anxiety at the first obstetric visit and throughout pregnancy helps identify mothers who need mental health care. Through MyChart and EPIC, providers across the system are alerted when a patient tests positive for warning signs and symptoms. From there, providers can proactively implement the Essential Toolkit for Parents.
One such tool is YoMingo. This free, web-based access point empowers both mothers and fathers. Its self-managed modules provide patients with accurate, well-validated information and education on a range of topics, including prenatal care, nutrition, newborn care, maternal mental health, perinatal depression and prevention. The platform provides parents with interactive discussion boards and live video sessions, allowing women to connect with other women.
As reported in the feature article, “Postpartum recovery is different for every mother, but each mother deserves to have a community she can turn to when and where she needs it.”
Telehealth, videoconferencing, the integration of behavioral health care in women’s health, virtual support groups, and initiatives like SB133, which would change Medicaid coverage to one year postpartum, aim to systematically address gaps in mental health care for perinatal women.
The University of Utah Health recently announced the Utah Pregnancy After Loss Program, which brings together doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and peer support specialists to provide a compassionate pathway for families to heal after a miscarriage, newborn loss or an extremely complicated pregnancy.
Experts across Utah continue to advance research, education and patient care in ways that help mothers and support entire families.
To participate or support The CLIMB, a Mothers Support Walk taking place on June 22, 2024, please visit: The Climb-Utah
