Specialized Programs

Specialized treatment programs, both inpatient and outpatient, for women with postpartum depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis.

Creating Hospital Programs That Better Support Women’s Mental Health

By Katherine Stone September 29, 2010

Women's College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario asked 1,000 women what their ideal in women's healthcare would be. One of the outcomes? "A supervised and enclosed child care space will be available in the Women’s Mental Health Program, so that patients can get the care they need without worrying unnecessarily."

They are also looking into web-based mental health support groups for women in the community. I would have liked to have seen more in the report about mental health and postnatal mental illness, but I was so pleased to see that they were actually paying attention to the needs and ideas of real women. We need more healthcare organizations and hospitals to do the same thing!

September 29, 2010 11:05 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

University of Colorado Hospital Launches Perinatal Mood Disorder Clinic

By Katherine Stone April 22, 2010

The University of Colorado Hospital has announced its new Perinatal Mood Disorder Clinic,established by Elisabeth Brass, MD, OB/GYN, Erica Schwartz, CNM, DNP(c), director of the nurse midwifery program and Cheryl Chessick, MD, psychiatrist. Per the press release, "Comprehensive screening for these disorders are conducted and the providers review the risks and benefits of treatment modalities during pregnancy and lactation. An avenue for ongoing community referrals has also been developed." The clinic is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.

Here's a great piece on the Perinatal Mood Disorder Clinic program, how it was developed and how it works.

April 22, 2010 10:21 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

Indiana Hospital Launches Postpartum Depression Treatment Program

By Katherine Stone January 13, 2010

St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Indiana has launched a Perinatal Mood Disorders program to help diagnose and treat new mothers with postpartum depression. The hospital now screens all women who recently delivered at its Indianapolis and Mooresville hospitals for signs of postpartum depression. New mothers also can join a PPD support group. For more information, contact Angela Bratina at (317) 851-1657 or angela.bratina @ssfhs.org.

January 13, 2010 1:57 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

Hospital Offers 5-Night Sleep Program for New Moms at High Risk for Postpartum Depression

By Katherine Stone December 2, 2009

Ho there, Warrior Moms. I've been off for a few days, chowing down on Thanksgiving (and all the days surrounding Thanksgiving, to be honest) and shopping for Christmas. I'm now done. House decorated. Children's presents all accounted for. And now it's time to get back to work. I hope you all had a pleasant and healthyholiday.

I'm catching up on a bazillion emails and news articles I missed and came across this one about the Mt. Sinai Hospital Perinatal Mental Health programin Toronto, Canada. This isone of the programs listed on the Postpartum Progress page featuring specialized programs treating postpartum depression and related illnesses. It's run by Dr. Ariel Dalfen and Dr. Beverly Young.

What I didn't know about their program, though, and what interested me greatly was this (from Canada's Hospital News):

"Women who are at especially high risk for PPD, such as those who suffer from bipolar disorder, may be eligible for Mount Sinai’s Five-Day Five-Night Program. This program allows high-risk women to stay in the hospital for an extra five nights after they’ve given birth for monitoring and, most importantly, so they can catch up on their sleep.

'Studies have shown that sleep deprivation worsens postpartum depression and the more sleep a woman gets greatly reduces her risk of developing PPD after birth,' explains Dr. Dalfen. 'This program allows them to rest while knowing their baby is being taken care of by trained nurses.'

How great is this?! Early intervention! It's an interesting idea. I'm VERY curious to know how many women have gone through the Five-Day Five-Night Program and what percentage of them (if any)either didn't develop full-blown symptoms of postpartum depression, anxiety or psychosis, or had milder symptoms than one might have expected. Is five days enough? How many of the women who are eligible are willing to participate? Aside from the sleep, do they receive any other types of support?

The article goes on to state that the group is also planning "… a pilot project that would reserve two beds on the psychiatric inpatient unit for women suffering from severe postpartum depression so they and their baby can be admitted and cared for on a longer-term basis."

Click the link for more stories on sleep and postpartum depression.

December 2, 2009 9:41 am Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Postpartum Depression, Risk Factors, Specialized Programs

Women's Mental Health Treatment Programs & Specialists, US, Canada & Australia

By Katherine Stone November 9, 2009

The following are links to some of the hospitals and clinics in the United States, as well as other countriesincluded at the bottom of this page,that have specialized programs to treat women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

How do I decide which programs are listed here? These organizations are specifically geared toward women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. They are well-rounded,offering treatment, hosting support groups andconducting research into these illnesses.Their clinicians are focused squarely on treating women with these kinds of illnesses. If you think your hospital or university's program should be included in this list, email me at postpartumprogress@gmail.com.

(Note: This list is in alphabetical order by state. Specialized programs outside of the United States are listed at the bottom. This list does not serve to endorse any particular program.)

Arizona: Women's Mental Health Program at the University of Arizona, Tucson

California: UCLAWomen's Life CenterLos Angeles, Dr. Lori Altshuler and Dr. Vivien Burt at UCLA Women's Life Center; El Camino Hospital Maternal Outreach Mood Services, Mountain View, CA, Kristina Peterson, MFT

Colorado: Postpartum Depression Intervention Program at The Kempe Center, Denver, Dr. Brian Stafford

Connecticut: Yale Program for Women's Reproductive Behavioral Health, Dr. Cynthia Neill Epperson

Georgia: Emory Women's Mental Health Program, Atlanta, Dr. Zachary Stowe, Dr. Jeffrey Newport, Dr. Toby Goldsmith

Illinois: University of Illinois at Chicago Perinatal Mental Health Project, Chicago, Dr. Laura Miller; Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Perinatal Depression Support Services, Oak Brook, Dr. Diane Semprevivo

Iowa: Iowa Depression & Clinical Research Center, Iowa City, IA, Dr. Michael O'Hara and Dr. Scott Stuart

Kentucky: University of Louisville Women's Mental Health Program, Louisville, Dr. Joyce Spurgeon, Sheila Ward CNM

Massachusetts: Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Women's Mental Health, Boston, Dr. Lee Cohen, Dr. Ruta Nonacs, Dr. Marlene Freeman, Dr. Adele Viguera

Maryland: Johns Hopkins Women's Mood Disorders Center, Baltimore, MD, Dr. Jennifer Payne, Dr. Karen Swartz

Michigan:University of Michigan Perinatal Mood Disorders Team, Ann Arbor, MI, Dr. Sheila Marcus, Dr. Heather Flynn, Dr. Maria Muzik, Dr. Juan Lopez, Kate Bullard, LMSW

Minnesota: Hennepin Women's Mental Health Program, Minneapolis, Dr. Helen Kim

New York: Payne Whitney Women's Program at Weill Cornell, New York, Dr. Margaret Altemus; New York University Reproductive Psychiatry, New York, Dr. Shari Lusskin; the Women's Mental Health Consortium, New York, Dr. Catherine Birndorff; Columbia University Women's Program, New York, Dr. Eileen Kavanagh

North Carolina: University of North Carolina Center for Women's Mood Disorders, Chapel Hill, NC, Dr. David Rubinow, Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, Dr. Elizabeth Bullard, Chris Raines RN

Pennsylvania:Women's Behavioral HealthCARE at the Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Dr. Katherine Wisner; Penn Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness, Dr. Deborah Kim

Rhode Island: Women & Infants Hospital Day Program, Providence, RI, Dr. Margaret Howard

Texas: The Menninger Clinic/Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Dr. Lucy Puryear; UT Southwestern Women's Mental Health Center, Dallas, Dr. Neysa Johnson, Dr. Anna Brandon, Dr. Geetha Shivakumar

CANADA

Reproductive Mental Health Program at St. Paul's Hospital and BC Women's, Vancouver, Dr. Shaila Misri

PerinatalMental Health Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Dr. Ariel Dalfen

AUSTRALIA

Perth Clinic Mother Baby Program, Perth

Royal Women's Hospital Centre for Women's Mental Health, Victoria

This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

November 9, 2009 1:29 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Specialized Programs

Two Chicago Hospitals Standardize PPD Screening for Patients

By Katherine Stone September 14, 2009

Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago has now made screening and education for posptartum depression a standard practice. (Wahoo!)

"Postpartum depression is under-recognized and under-treated," said Jacqueline Gollan, PhD, clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial and the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation Women's Behavioral Health Services Program. "By establishing a clinical protocol to screen all obstetric patients for depression, we can better detect the emergence of mood disorders, offer treatment and improve the clinical outcomes of these patients."

The staff at Prentice has beenextensively trainedon how to screen women, interpret the screen and follow up on the results. Screenings will now occur at the first prenatal visit, in the third trimester and at the 6 to 8 week postpartum checkup. The hospital statesthatit offers a range of services for those with perinatal mood or anxiety disorders, including one-on-one counseling and support groups for new moms.

Even better, another Chicago hospitalsystem is screening all of its pregnant patients for postpartum depressionas well. The Loyola University Health System has developed a comprehensive program that screens women for postpartum depression at 28 weeks, at delivery, at 2 weeks postpartum and at 6 weeks postpartum.(Thanks to Jennifer White at About.com for the heads up on this!)

September 14, 2009 11:38 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Specialized Programs

Tips On Inpatient Psychiatric Care: Hospitalization for Postpartum Depression

By Katherine Stone June 16, 2009

For anyone with postpartum depression or psychosis whoneeds inpatient psychiatric care, Psych Central has just published the helpful"Inpatient Psychiatric Questions & Tips". This is great, because I know when I was hospitalized briefly I had no idea what to expect or how to plan for it.

One helpful tidbit: Find out what criteria you need to meet to be released.

I know being hospitalized is a very scary concept, but for some women it's what is needed to get through the immediate crisis. To read more stories about hospitalization for postpartum depression, click the link.

June 16, 2009 10:51 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

Tampa Hospital Creates Program to Identify Moms with PPD

By Katherine Stone June 12, 2009

Nice story from the St. Petersburg Times on the University Community Hospital in Tampa and what they're doing to help moms with postpartum depression. This includes having moms fill out questionnaires to identify risk factors and then having high-risk moms see a postpartum support specialist before discharge. Great job UCH!

June 12, 2009 11:35 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

NH Hospital Implements Comprehensive PPD Prevention Program

By Katherine Stone April 15, 2009

Just when you start to think no one is listening, you hear from an amazing healthcare provider like Alison Palmer in New Hampshire. She sent a fantastic email about the work that she is doing at Elliot Hospital in Manchester.

They will be starting an Inpatient Postpartum Depression Risk Assessment program in May. An 11-item questionnaire will be distributed to every new mother after she delivers on the Maternity Unit. Those found to be in the moderate, high or immediate risk categoriesfor developing PPD will receive follow-up phone calls at home and also be offered visiting nurse visits. Additionally, a PPD support group is held weekly on the hospital's campus. They are hoping that the screening process and interventions they've set up will serve to prevent PPD as they are educating families and connecting them with resources BEFORE things have the chance to get out of control. They also hope that universal screening will help to take the sting out of the stigma of talking about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders because the program will encourage nurses and providers to help patients understand these illnesses are a common complication of childbirth. I wish Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta had done this for me!

Their program was inspired, by the way, by the work being done in Michigan by Spectrum Health. They used their PPD Program Development Toolkit to establish their own comprehensive program.

Alison also started a Perinatal Mood Disorder Taskforce in January comprised of healthcare providers, therapists, visiting nurses, and hospital staff in Southern New Hampshire to work together on addressing maternal mental health issues. May will be PPD Awareness Month in New Hampshire, and Alison has all sorts of plans to do outreach in the area.

Alison and Elliot Hospital, you will be heroes to the women you will undoubtedly help with this caring and comprehensive new program. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I know if I lived in Manchester, Elliot Hospital would be the place where I'd want to deliver my baby.

For more on the topic of universal screening for PPD, click here.

April 15, 2009 1:45 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs

UNC To Open Perinatal Depression Inpatient Unit

By Katherine Stone October 23, 2008

From an article in the Raleigh News & Observer by Sarah Lindenfeld Hall: This week, the University of North Carolina Center for Women’s Mood Disorders opened a weekly outpatient clinic at Rex for women with postpartum depression. Rex is part of the UNC Health Care System. On Nov. 3, a six-bed inpatient unit for women with the illness will open at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. The rooms will come equipped with gliders for rocking babies and breast pumps for nursing mothers. There will be space for extended visits with their children, therapy for the patient and her family, and help from lactation consultants and doctors.

UNC’s inpatient program will be modeled after similar programs in Britain. A couple of hospitals in the United States offer day programs for women with the illness. But UNC’s unit, where women will stay overnight, likely is the only one of its kind in the United States.

October 23, 2008 11:04 am Filed Under: Specialized Programs