Professionals



The Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of Santa Cruz County is committed to providing information to support screening practices for early detection and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Why Screen?
As providers serving pregnant and postpartum women and birthing parents, we are entrusted to provide only the highest quality of care. This requires us to embrace a holistic view of health that prioritizes both physical and mental health of those we serve. By screening all mothers and birthing parents for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders throughout pregnancy and postpartum, we can ensure we are providing the high-quality care that they deserve while abiding by care recommendations (ACOG, 2018; USPSTF, 2019). Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders often go untreated and un-diagnosed. This is a call to action to all providers to provide routine screening during the first prenatal visit, every trimester, and routinely during the postpartum (ACOG, 2018).

Additional information on screening recommendations can be found on the Postpartum Support International webpage: Screening Recommendations | Postpartum Support International (PSI)

Screening Tools:

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening Scale (EPDS):   
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (psychology-tools.com)              
EPDS- Available in English/Spanish for download  

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9):

Patient Health Questionnaire Screeners
PHQ-9- English    PHQ-9- Spanish for download

Perinatal OCD Screening & Tools:
International OCD Foundation | Perinatal OCD Screening & Screening Tools (iocdf.org)

Referrals:
  • Local Provider Directories
    • Santa Cruz Birth Network
      Comprehensive local resources including prenatal/postpartum yoga, birth and postpartum doulas, counseling, holistic practitioners, etc.      ​
    • Carelon Behavior Health- For local Alliance Medi-Cal, please select “Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH)- Medi-Cal". Select "Find Healthcare Providers" from the menu to be brought to their searchable online directory.
    • Postpartum Support International- Online provider directory to search by zip code. ​
    • International OCD Foundation- Online provider directory to search by zip code. 

Additional Resources:

Provider to Provider Consults                 Call 1-800-944-4773, ext. 4
 
Connect with other professionals
Training and Education​
Certification
Certification in Perinatal Mental Health is offered by:          
Professional Organizations 
American Academy of Pediatrics
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a resource webpage for professionals that is dedicated to perinatal mental health. The webpage features AAP recommendations, information on physician education and training, integration of screening into practice, and many additional resources. 
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses
  • AWHONN promotes the health of women and newborns by providing journals, publications, and researched resources, as well as educational and political advocacy opportunities.
​International Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health 
  • An international society that supports researchers or professionals interested in prenatal and postpartum mental health.
North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics & Gynecology
​Group Facilitator Training
Perinatal Support Washington   

References:
ACOG committee opinion no. 735. (2018). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 131(5), e130-e139. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000002632
United States Preventative Services Task Force. (2019). Perinatal depression: Preventive interventions. Retrieved from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/perinatal-depression-preventive-interventions

Web-Based Resources 


Women's Mental Health Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Provides a range of current information on women's mental health, including discussion of how new research findings impact day-to-day clinical practice.

Infant Risk Center
  • Provides up-to-date, evidence-based information on the risks of using medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also provides hotline support Monday through Friday, 8AM-5PM CST at 806-352-2519.

Maternal & Child Health Library
  • The MCH Library, compiled by Georgetown University, houses a collection of historical documents and reports related to maternal and child health in the U.S. and health services for children and families.

National Institute of Mental Health
  • The government-sponsored National Institute of Mental Health's section on a range of mental health issues particularly relating to women.

Spanish & Other Language Resources

MedLine Plus Postpartum Depression Resources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/postpartumdepression.html
  • Offers trusted health information in 15 different languages​

Here to Help, British Columbia Partners for Mental Health and Addiction
http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/other-languages
  • A Canadian resource available in 12 different languages.​

Foundations

2020 Mom Project
http://www.2020mom.org
  • Project that seeks to bring about change by the year 2020. 
  • Advocates for the awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and provides many resources 

Jenny's Light
Jenny's Light | Facebook
  • Provides postpartum resources, survivor stories, emergency assistance hotlines and contact information, as well as a forum called "Circle of Moms" where those affected by PPD may share their experiences.

Ruth Rhoden Craven Foundation
http://www.ppdsupport.org
  • Provides education and support groups in the South Carolina area, treatment information, and links to other resources.​
*Individuals and organizations listed within this website are provided for informational purposes only. We hope that this website may help to decrease barriers for timely screening, treatment, and recovery. The Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of Santa Cruz County does not endorse or guarantee the quality of services or listed information of these individuals or organizations. Information is subject to change. Please call to confirm details. 
In case of an emergency, please call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency room. NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: 988