Postnatal Depression And Maternal Mental Health

Postnatal Depression and Maternal Mental Health: A handbook for frontline caregivers working with women with perinatal mental health difficulties is an accessible handbook that is intended to support midwives, health visitors, community workers and frontline healthcare providers in their detection and assessment of postnatal depression and maternal mental health. Midwives, health visitors, community workers and frontline healthcare providers for pregnant women, and mothers and babies in the first postnatal year, require better information on the kinds of help that women need, and resources they can use to support discussions about difficult and complex feelings. It will provide readers with a good understanding of postnatal depression and the range of perinatal mental health difficulties they may come across in universal services for mental illness in pregnant and postnatal women. The handbook will support them in their detection and assessment of these difficulties in the women on their caseload. Postnatal Depression and Maternal Mental Health will enable you to: Identify and assess postnatal depression in mothers Facilitate sensitive conversations about mental health with more confidence Provide early support to both mother and baby to reduce the need for future professional intervention Progress your CPD accreditation.

Postpartum depression affects 10-15 percent of women any time from a month to a year after childbirth. Women with postpartum depression may feel restless, anxious, sad or depressed. They may have feelings of guilt, decreased energy and motivation, and a sense of worthlessness. They may also have sleep difficulties and undergo unexplained weight loss or gain. Some mothers may worry about hurting themselves or their baby. In extremely rare cases - less than 1 percent of new mothers - women may develop something called postpartum psychosis. It usually occurs within the first few weeks after delivery. Symptoms may include refusing to eat, frantic energy, sleep disturbance, paranoia and irrational thoughts. Women with postpartum psychosis usually need to be hospitalised.

Perinatal Mental Health is an invaluable reference fornurses, midwives and other health professionals working with thisclient group, covering current thinking on the causes ofmothers’ mood disorders and the consequences for her infant,the family, society and most importantly the mother herself. This book covers the recognition, treatment, care and managementof perinatal mental health disorders with chapters on the antenatalperiod; postnatal depression and bipolar disorder; psychosis,personality disorders, eating disorders, sexual issues, self harmand suicide; possible causes of postnatal depression; themultidisciplinary team; and global cultural practices.

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a questionnaire and was designed as a simple means of screening for postnatal depression in health care settings. The scale is now in use around the world and this book is a practical guide to using the scale in clinical practice, its origins and development background. This second edition has been revised and contains much advice based on years of experience. All chapters and references have been updated and the chapters on screening and counselling have been considerably revised, the evidence base on interventions for perinatal depression is provided, plus details of innovative methods such as internet-based therapy. The book includes the EPDS questionnaire itself in 58 other languages, plus a discussion of the questionnaire’s cultural validity. The scale can also be used by researchers seeking information on factors which influence the emotional well-being of new mothers and their families and guidance is also given on use of the scale in research settings. The book will be useful for psychologists, psychiatrists, health visitors, midwives, family doctors, obstetricians and community psychiatric nurses, plus researchers in perinatal health.

This comprehensive reference and text synthesizes a vast body of clinically useful knowledge about women's mental health and health care. Coverage includes women's psychobiology across the life span--sex differences in neurobiology and psychopharmacology and psychiatric aspects of the reproductive cycle--as well as gender-related issues in assessment and treatment of frequently encountered psychiatric disorders. Current findings are presented on sex differences in epidemiology, risk factors, presenting symptoms, treatment options and outcomes, and more. Also addressed are mental health consultation to other medical specialties, developmental and sociocultural considerations in service delivery, and research methodology and health policy concerns.

"As a psychotherapist and educator of future mental health practitioners, I believe this work fills an important gap in reference books for professionals who care for childbearing women. Since the volume provides invaluable neurobiological research on depression and anxiety, I recommend this work to all health and mental health professionals."--Illness, Crisis and Loss Over the past three years, pregnancy related mood disorders have become the focus of health care advocates and legislators alike with subsequent reflection in nationwide media. Statistics on the prevalence of perinatal mood disorders suggest that up to 20% of women experience diagnosable pregnancy related mood disorders. The growing recognition of these common disorders, coupled with an increasing knowledge base about the dire consequences of untreated maternal depression, has propelled this issue to the fore of national public health priorities. This increasing awareness has also resulted in recent legislative and healthcare initiatives to screen, assess, and treat such disorders. On April 13, 2006, Governor Jon S. Corzine (D -NJ) signed a law requiring all new mothers to be educated and screened for postpartum depression. This law is the first of its kind in the country, but many states and federal advocates are proposing similar laws. The motivation for states and the federal government to adopt education and screening program is high and may soon be a federal mandate. But a major barrier to successful implementation of such programs is the lack of available resources to train healthcare professionals in this specialty. This book offers a major resource for healthcare professionals, mental health professionals, and medical, nursing, psychology, and social work students who will be confronting this problem in their practices. The contributions, by renowned experts, fill a glaring gap in the knowledge professionals need in order to successfully manage maternal mental health.

Identifying Perinatal Depression and Anxiety bringstogether the very latest research and clinical practice on thistopic from around the world in one valuable resource. Examines current screening and management models, particularlythose in Australia, England and Wales, Scotland, and the UnitedStates Discusses the evidence, accuracy, and limitations of screeningmethods in the context of challenges, policy issues, and questionsthat require further research Up to date practical guidance of how to screen, assess,diagnose and manage is provided. Considers the importance of screening processes that involveinfants and fathers, additional training for health professionals,pathways to care following screening, and the economics ofscreening Offers forward-thinking synthesis and analysis of the currentstate of the field by leading international experts, with the goalof sketching out areas in need of future research