What We're Reading
By Joy Burkhard, MBA
Founder and Executive Director, 2020 Mom
The articles in this edition are organized by topic so you can quickly skim this post to find the news most interesting to you. A theme has bubbled up with a set of three articles in this edition, they are titled:
“Opinion: Maternal Mental Health Should Be a Priority for ALL”
“Is It the Right Time for a Paradigm Shift in Mental Health Care Delivery?”
and
“Our Clinics Meet Mental Health Needs and Lighten the Load on Police. Let’s Go Nationwide”
The authors of these articles argue that now is the time to increase the capacity of community-based mental organizations and facilities. This included a discussion held at the American Psychiatric Association conference. Read more in the “Community Based Mental Health” section below.
RESEARCH – GENERAL
Mothers’ Depression Symptoms From Preconception to Postpartum Linked With Children’s Behavioral Issues
Children whose mothers experience rising levels of depression from the period before pregnancy until the months just after giving birth are at greater risk of developing emotional, social and academic problems during their youth, UCLA psychology researchers and colleagues report.
Viral Infections During Pregnancy Affect Maternal Care Behavior
Viral infections during pregnancy affect the mother's brain and her postpartum care behavior.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION
Achieving Success in Population Health Management With Integrated Care
The Population Health Alliance (PHA) released its latest Issue Brief exploring some of the challenges of implementing Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) and how to overcome them. For more recommendations on how to improve IBH and implement it more effectively, download the complete PHA Issue Brief here.
RACE
The Intergenerational Impact of Structural Racism and Cumulative Trauma on Depression
The purpose of this review was to conceptualize how structural racism and cumulative trauma can be fundamental drivers of the intergenerational transmission of depression. The authors propose that understanding risk factors for depression, particularly its intergenerational reach, requires accounting for structural racism. In light of the profoundly different experiences of African Americans who experience depression (i.e., a more persistent course of illness and greater disability), it is critical to examine whether an emerging explanation for some of these differences is the intergenerational transmission of this disorder due to structural racism.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Food Insecurity and Depression
The presence of food insecurity is associated with mental ill-health, especially anxiety and depression among women. Those going through this experience had increased chances of sadness, worry, stress, and anger, and were less likely to say they enjoyed life, felt rested, or received respect from others.
MATERNAL EXPERIENCES
Moms Share What It’s Like to Feel Blindsided by Postpartum Depression: ‘You Think You Are a Bad Human Being’
"In the hospital, the nurses were there, [so] I didn't feel, like, the burden or anything, because the nurses were helping me out," she tells Yahoo Life. "It was more like, 'Oh, I want my baby to be healthy.' But the moment we got home, after a few days, it was a lot to handle."
A Mother’s Nightmare - The Reality of Postpartum Psychosis
What could lead a loving mother like Carol Coronado to murder her children? Like hundreds of other new mothers who have killed their children or themselves, Coronado suffered from postpartum psychosis.
PROVIDER EDUCATION
E-Learning Education for Perinatal Psychological Support Skills Among Midwives and Perinatal Healthcare Workers
Although midwives are expected to play a key role for psychological support throughout perinatal periods, their educational chances are limited. Versatile teaching strategies such as e-learning may be promising in expanding education.
RISK & PREVENTION
IVF Treatment May Up Risk Of Postpartum Depression In Pregnant Mothers: Experts
IVF treatment is one of the best treatments for couples who have difficulties conceiving. Experts say that though the treatment is safe, it can increase postpartum depression risk.
New Study on the Prevention of Postpartum Depression: Intervention With SNOO
"It's well documented that women often have disturbed sleep in the postpartum phase, and that exhaustion is significantly associated with depressive …
DETECTION, SCREENING & DIAGNOSIS
AI Can Now Detect Depression From Your Voice, and It’s Twice as Accurate as Human Practitioners
Thanks to recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), providers can now detect depression just by listening to someone speak a few sentences. Surprisingly, the language or the words spoken aren’t as important as how you say it.
Chair of DSM-5 Text Revision on Predictions for the Future of Psychiatry
The APA board voted to move towards an 'iterative process' in updating the DSM-5 diagnostic manual.
Reliability and Validity of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (Dass)-21 in Screening for Common Mental Disorders Among Postpartum Women
Approximately one in five women who have recently given birth suffer from common mental disorder (CMD), particularly depression and/or anxiety. Most available CMD screening tools in most low- and middle-income countries do not screen for more than one mental health problem. Having a screening tool that is free to use, short in assessment time, and used to screen for more than one CMD is appealing in a resource-constrained setting.
New Tool May Identify Pregnant Women With Eating Disorders
The 12-question instrument is intended to be a quick way to help clinicians identify women who may need to be referred to a mental health expert for further evaluation.
MILITARY MMH
Prenatal and Postpartum Mental Health Care for Military Service Members and Their Dependents
Prenatal and postpartum depression are common complications during pregnancy. As many as one in five women will experience prenatal and postpartum depressions. On today's podcast, we talk with GAO's Alyssa Hundrup about our work on one specific population - military service members and their dependents, and the care they receive for these conditions through TRICARE, which provides millions of people care through both military facilities and private care providers.
TREATMENTS
Add-On Vraylar Tied to Easing of Recurrent Depressive Symptoms
Data shows safety and efficacy of agent when paired with first-line antidepressants.
Sleepio Becomes First Digital Therapeutic to Receive NICE Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the Sleepio app as an effective alternative to sleeping pills. In its guidance, NICE states the app, created by digital therapeutics (DTx) firm Big Health, is a safe and effective treatment for people suffering from insomnia.
ACCESS TO CARE
How Medicaid Programs Provide Coverage for Maternal Health Services
Many state Medicaid programs cover maternal health services such as prenatal and postpartum visits, ultrasounds, and vitamins, but some states impose utilization controls on coverage.
Medi-Cal Coverage for Doula Care Requires Sustainable and Equitable Reimbursement to Be Successful
A group of doulas and other stakeholders, many of whom are part of the DHCS Doula Stakeholder Workgroup, have been advocating with the Department for an equitable and sustainable reimbursement rate for doulas providing care to Medi-Cal enrollees. Specifically, they have recommended a minimum rate of $1000 for presence at the birth, $100 for each prenatal or postpartum visit, and $250 for doula support for an abortion or miscarriage.
COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH
Our Clinics Meet Mental Health Needs and Lighten the Load on Police. Let’s Go Nationwide.
Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are calling on lawmakers to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) nationwide.
“This is an important moment to come together and finally treat health care above the neck the same as health care below the neck,” the senators wrote in a USA Today op-ed.
CCBHCs, which operate as nonprofit organizations or part of a local government, provide a range of mental health and substance use disorder services and are particularly aimed at helping vulnerable individuals.
The centers are required to provide nine types of services to be designated as the special provider type in Medicaid, including 24-hour crisis care and integrations with physical health services.
Opinion: Maternal Mental Health Should Be a Priority for All
As maternal mental health advocates, we appreciated Jennifer Wadsworth’s May 10 Health & Science article, “Rise of perinatal and postpartum depressions.” This problem demands urgent action. But the health-care system responses mentioned must be the beginning, not the end, of reform.
Is It the Right Time for a Paradigm Shift in Mental Health Care Delivery?
This new review highlights evidence for a community-based approach.
Adults With Depression & Anxiety More Likely to Develop Chronic Health Conditions
Adults with depression and/or anxiety are more likely to develop multiple chronic health conditions than adults of the same age without either depression or anxiety. For women, the likelihood was higher across the lifespan, from age 20 to age 60, and was highest among those who had comorbid depression and anxiety. For men, the risk was higher among those in their twenties who had comorbid depression and anxiety, but not among older men, or those of any age who had only depression or only anxiety. Women with depression at age 20 and age 40 were 20% more likely to…
FORMULA CRISIS
Baby-Formula Shortage Worsened by Drop in Breast-Feeding Rates
Covid-19 restrictions, pandemic disruptions caused a shift in how parents feed their babies, health experts say.
‘Just Breastfeed’ Will Not Solve the Infant Formula Shortage
Breastfeeding comes with significant costs and isn't realistic for all new parents.
COVID
Long COVID Numbers Are Growing, CDC Says
More than one-third of adults recovering from Covid-19 still had problems [including psychiatric problems] one month to a year after they were infected, a new CDC report says about the rising number of long Covid cases.
ABORTION
Can Being Denied an Abortion Harm Your Mental Health?
The most comprehensive study available found that women who were denied an abortion had more psychological problems in the short term than those who received one, and experienced more long-term physical and financial problems.
Women who were denied an abortion and gave birth reported more chronic headaches or migraines and joint pain compared with those who had an abortion. They also reported higher exposure to domestic violence and increased poverty.
The State Behind Roe’s Likely Demise Also Does the Least for New Parents in Need
Mississippians on Medicaid lose coverage a mere 60 days after childbirth. “When women don’t have that coverage, what happens is they die,” says one expert.
GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Why Are We Blaming Gun Violence on Mental Illness?
The thing we should be talking about is guns, says Jessica Gold.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER
Buprenorphine Uptake During Pregnancy Increases Following Guideline Updates
Given increases in prenatal opioid use disorder (OUD), in August 2017, ACOG and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) expanded their guidelines for treating OUD in pregnancy to include buprenorphine. Until then, only methadone was recommended by these organizations for treating pregnant women with OUD.