Silent Storms: Unraveling Perinatal Mental Health-Presentation Slides

Presentation Slides

Pdf Summary

This document is a summary of a presentation on perinatal mental health, which was part of an initiative by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The presentation focused on the recognition of risk factors for serious mental illness (SMI) in the perinatal stage, differentiation between various mental health concerns, and strategies for awareness and destigmatization.<br /><br />The perinatal stage was defined as the period from pregnancy to a year after giving birth. Common SMI during this period included unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and postpartum psychosis. Symptoms of unipolar depression included excessive sadness, crying spells, sleep problems, difficulty bonding with the child, and suicidal thoughts. Bipolar disorder was characterized by periods of severe depressed mood and irritability as well as periods of elevated mood. Postpartum psychosis presented with rapid mood fluctuations, confusion, and cognitive impairment, often combined with manic or depressive features.<br /><br />Treatment options for these conditions included psychotherapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and group therapy, as well as pharmacotherapy, bright light therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and support groups. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was also discussed as a non-SMI concern during the perinatal period, with treatment options including pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention (CBT-ERP).<br /><br />Strategies to destigmatize perinatal mental health included offering group therapy and support groups, involving the other parent in treatment, effective assessment through the right questions, normalization, reducing stereotyping, raising awareness and educating the public, promoting empathy and understanding, and challenging discrimination.<br /><br />The presentation provided references for further reading and concluded with an invitation for participants to submit questions for a Q&A session with the presenter.<br /><br />Overall, the presentation aimed to raise awareness about perinatal mental health, recognize risk factors and symptoms of SMI during this period, and provide information about available treatment options and destigmatization strategies.

Keywords

perinatal mental health

serious mental illness

risk factors

unipolar depression

bipolar disorder

postpartum psychosis

treatment options

psychotherapies

pharmacotherapy

destigmatization strategies