By Cindy Herrick, MA, PMH-C, CPSS

Mental health screening awareness month is ending, but awareness about screening for postpartum depression and other maternal mental health disorders should be a constant priority.

Screening, which happens through a brief symptom questionnaire) is the first step in educating women about the risk, signs, and symptoms, and detecting potential disorders. Because there isn’t yet a medical diagnostic test, like a blood or saliva test to detect potential mental health disorders, questionnaires (referred to as screening tools) are used.

Screening for maternal mental health disorders can be administered in various settings and by various healthcare professionals and/or trained support staff. It can also be completed by the individual. Screening tools are available in various forms and languages, including paper, web-based (medical and non-medical sites), questions read by a health care professional through an electronic medical record interface, and smartphone apps.

While screening for depression is a good first step for identifying maternal mental health disorders, it should be noted that only screening for depression can do harm. As noted on 2020 Mom’s screening webpage and issue brief on screening, maternal mental health disorders is a spectrum of disorders that require a spectrum of screening tools.

Learn more about screening, including recommendations on the timing of screening and the proper tools and sequencing, here.

Take a deeper dive by reading our issue brief and sharing our infographics on screening here.

You can also learn more from our recent webinar on The Latest Developments in MMH Screening where we covered:

Recommended screening tools, featured in 2020 Mom’s Universal Screening Issue Brief, including use of the PHQ-4 (a short screener to identify anxiety and depression) and when to screen for suicide risk, for example.
To highlight the screening tools: Considerations for culturally relevant/sensitive screening tools
The new National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) HEDIS screening measures and the first set of U.S. screening rates.
Screening timeframe recommendations, including MMHLA’s partner advocacy organizations’ forthcoming recommendations.
Actions being led by 2020 Mom to increase obstetric provider screening rates, including addressing obstetric provider reimbursement and care navigation efforts.