Thanks to Kim Schworm Acosta for giving me the heads up on this interview on WBUR (NPR in Boston) with Dr. Jeanne Watson Driscoll about postpartum depression and the issue of legislating PPD screening. Listen in by following the link below and clicking on the listen button underneath the title! It’s 15 minutes long and Dr. Driscoll is awesome!
Lawmakers Weigh Mandatory Depression Screening for New Moms [in Massachusetts; the federal legislation is does not mandate screening]
I wrote this on our FB page and though I would share with you: It's great that there's a movement to look at the whole picture, screen for PPD, and try to nip later, more severe problems in the bud. Legislating a mandatory screening, though, is not how medicine should be practiced. Postpartum depression impacts a significant number of women. A pregnancy is a risk factor. Screening for it should be an automatic part of the medical followup after the baby is born. If legislation is the only way to address it, I'll take it, of course. The most effective prevention, however, is patient awareness and appropriate education within the medical community, not laws. On the bright side, legislation such as this could lead to universal screening and force health care pros to take these disorders seriously….
What a wonderful interview with Jeanne Watson Driscoll. It's just so good to hear a public interview with good solid information. Her last statement is so good and I think it echoes what Jeremy wrote – I transcribed it so I can save it. "I mean, I wish that we didn't have to legislatively mandate anything. I wish that women were looked at holistically when they come into an office being pregnant…Each one of us are a brain and a body and we need to do more…So if we had that as a given, I don't think we'd have this mandated screening issue. I'm not all for mandating anything, but it's better than nothing if we at least get people to talk and listen and maybe get women identified so that nothing bad happens to them." Rock on Jeanne.
Couldn't agree with Jeremy more. It's a shame we have to resort to passing legislation for something as basic as following up to see how a mother is doing after childbirth to make sure she's okay and doesn't have any PPD symptoms. Preventing/minimizing PPD can only be accomplished through public awareness, which includes health care professionals taking perinatal mood disorders seriously by way of getting the training (and resources) needed to detect and properly diagnose/treat them. We don't want to hear anymore doctors waving off PPD as "Oh, all new moms go through this. You'll be fine in no time." As Wendy mentions, Jeanne Watson Driscoll brings up the word "holistically" in terms of how women's reproductive health should be treated. She uses that word a lot in her book "Women's Moods," one of the first books I read on PPD and I learned so much from. The fact that women's reproductive health is not treated holistically is a HUGE problem. When/how are we going to make progress along those lines? Women have got to stop falling through the cracks, and if mandating screening will help women get the help they need and reduce the occasions in which a postpartum mood disorder will lead to disastrous consequences for new moms and their families, then I'm all for it.
Thanks for sharing the NPR show, our continual work is necessary to keep these issues in the forefront. Thanks for all the work you all do, we are all making a difference in the care of women and their families
Would that more media outlets were willing to interview a real expert on this who can discuss it intelligently!
I welcome your opinion on this Jeremy. Thanks for sharing it!
First, I always like to add one clarification to my readers: mandatory screening means mandatory for the doctor, not the patient. It requires the doc to offer the screening, but the patient is not required to take it. Also, mandatory screening is not part of the MOTHERS Act federal legislation. It is being considered in Massachusetts, though.
Second, I agree the screening should really be naturally automatic, but the reality is that it isn't. Partially because doctors already have a very limited time with their patients. Partially because they aren't reimbursed in every state for doing it. Partially because some OBs and pediatricians don't want to be in the "psychiatry" business. Partially because they're not sure where to send patients if they do score high on the screen … etc.
I also would prefer that legislation was not involved in this in any way, but I also fear that docs will continue to ignore this illness and more families will be harmed. Which is worse?
Don't you just love that book? I think "Women's Moods" should be required reading for every woman because you learn so much about your body and hormones!
Any time! We are so grateful to you for getting the word out with such intelligence, expertise and grace!